Chapter Twenty-six

Fred had watched through a tiny crack in the door as Wesley had gone off with two other men. The very second they had left her sight, she had rushed out of the door and quickly found her way to the galley. As she burst through its door, she began exclaiming before any one even had a chance to acknowledge her. "Prue, we have ta talk! Ya're nevah gonna believe this! The things they're doin' are awful! They -- They're lockin' up men!" Her frantic nerves were easily told from her trembling hands, shaking voice, and thickening accent.

Lorne looked up from where he was mixing the meat that Piper had told him step by step how to put together. "Who are they locking up, Miss Fred, and who are they?"

Prue had reached out and caught Fred's hands in her own. She was worried. Had something happened to Brendan?

Joxer said, "Nothing to worry about. They do it all the time when the moon's full."

"But it's not full yet!" Autolycus protested. "That's not for two more days!" He listened eagerly to find out who was in trouble now.

"Ah -- Ah don't know!" Fred babbled. "W-W-Wes said somethin' about a cage where they lock 'em up when they're bad an' him havin' ta go fix it!" She could feel the others' eyes on her as all but the blonde had turned to look at her.

"That explains everything," Lorne calmly announced, glancing over at Crys. He didn't know for certain, but he thought that she might have had something to do with breaking the cage. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She simply stole his breath away, and he had not gotten up the courage to speak to her again yet. "We have special beings aboard the ship," he finally came up with a way to explain the situation to the women, "and the Captain had Wesley build a cage on both ships to hold the beings when they are having problems."

"What -- What kind o' beings?" Fred asked, her voice quivering, as she looked at Lorne with eyes as round as saucers.

"Oh, nothing much!" Joxer called from where he was peeling potatoes. "Just the usual! You know, Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, and anything else that goes bump in the night!"

Fred's hands fluttered inside Prue's. "Wh-What?" She knew Lorne was a Demon, but he was clearly good. "Are -- Are th-they," she stuttered out, her eyes flying back to Lorne, "li-like y-you o-or a-ar-are th-they e-e-evil?"

"There's no one evil aboard either ship, Miss Fred," Lorne was quick to reassure her, "but there are a lot of us who have trouble controlling our powers, especially when the moon is full. The cages are to protect all of us."

"Bu-But th-they're good then, right?"

"Yes, they're good, but through no fault of their own, they're not able to help themselves. Most of us know how to handle it. We've been trained in case they get out."

"In-in c-ca-case they get out!" Her voice rose with each word until she was nearly squeaking. "Bu-But th-the c-ca-cage! D-D-Doesn't th-that -- "

She was broken off by a smooth voice next to her. "Well, yes, it's meant to contain them, but they don't always make it there."

"WHAT!" Her head whirled to look at the speaker, and she found herself face to face with a mustached man with twinkling eyes. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DON'T ALWAYS GET IN THERE!"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "They sometimes change before they can reach the cage or have a little temper tantrum that can turn deadly."

"D-D-D-D-De-Dea -- !"

He nodded but raised a hand to caress her cheek. "Why, of course, but don't worry. I'll keep you safe." He drew his thumb gently across her lips, and she trembled underneath his touch, too scared and shocked to tell him to get his hand off of her. "I'll protect you, beautiful."

"AUTOLYCUS!" Prue yelled right in his face. "GET OFF OF HER RIGHT NOW!"

A voice came from the doorway. "I've been looking for you, Autolycus."

Autolycus' eyes closed at that particular voice. "No . . . " he whispered. "Not her." His eyes opened, and he glanced at the table, wondering if he might make it under there before she could reach him.

"You're not hiding under there this time!" His eyes darted to Paige, who had made the call. She was sitting next to Piper, and his eyes widened as he realized that Piper again had a knife in her hand.

Xena stood in the doorway, taking in the scene. She was happy that some one was attempting to get dinner going for every one, but she knew her confrontation with Autolycus was long past due. Her happy encounter with Gabrielle had made her starving to death, and her stomach rumbled. She looked around, hoping to spy something to eat, even as Joxer threw something at her. It was an apple. She caught it and bit it before turning and handing the rest of it to Gabrielle, who was standing right behind her. "Do you want him, or do you want me to handle him?"

Gabrielle tossed the apple, catching it repeatedly in the palm of her hand. Her solemn green eyes narrowed in on Autolycus' back, and he could feel her gaze burning into him. "Why don't we handle him together?" As she spoke the last word, her gaze turned back to Xena with a flicker of a smile and a single, raised brow.

"Sounds like a good deal to me," Xena agreed. She reached out and, grabbing him at the back of his shirt, jerked him straight up. She proceeded to make him walk out the door on the tips of his toes. "Sorry, folks, for this inconsiderate jerk! We'll take care of him!" She marched Autolycus quickly out the door. Gabrielle shut the door behind them as she followed suit.

Joxer immediately breathed a sigh of relief when they were gone. "I guess he means well," he said with a grimace, "but he can't be trusted around women or booty."

Paige quirked a brow at Joxer. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"PAIGE!" Piper scolded.

"Well," she insisted with a shrug, "isn't it?"

"No, ma'am, it isn't," Joxer answered in a still, quiet voice, his eyes locked on Phoebe. "Women are the most beautiful treasures on Earth, and booty . . . Well, it's just money. It's kind of hard to live without it, but you won't die without it. But a beautiful woman . . . " He sighed longingly, his eyes never leaving Phoebe. "They can make a pauper a King and a King a pauper!"

His words thrilled Phoebe. She glanced at her sisters. She knew they suspected something, but by Gods, she was sick of having to behave all the time! She missed their Mother, but it wasn't as if she or their Grandmother were still there to make her behave. Her gaze returned to Joxer, and she began to walk closer to him, her hips moving one at a time. She walked around him and slid a hand over his shoulders. "Why don't you tell me more about that?" she requested in a low whisper.

"I-I can't right now, M-Miss Phoebe. I don't want to anger your sisters or make them think that I am no better than Autolycus. I might be a pauper, but you make me feel like a King. I like feeling like a King instead of a bumbling idiot although I'm thankful I'm a bumbling idiot because otherwise I would never have met you." He grinned up at her.

Prue caught the reaction between the two but didn't say anything. She could see the love shining out of Joxer's eyes, and although she would have picked some one a lot different for her sister, she could tell he loved her a lot already. She only hoped that she would one day see as much love shining out of Brendan's eyes for her as was now coming out of Joxer's for Phoebe.

Prue knew fully well that Brendan was one of the ones who had to spend time in the cage. Would they let her get near him during that time? Maybe she could take him something to eat? Nah. They probably wouldn't. She shook her head sadly. He wouldn't know her any way if he was wolfed out.

It wasn't fair! Phoebe managed to get a guy who was only a bumbling idiot; he didn't wolf out when she touched him. She, being the oldest, should have had such good luck, but she was still happy with Brendan's looks, charm, and sexiness. That was one thing Joxer did not have. He might be good with words and be able to smile at Phoebe and touch her without wolfing out, but he still didn't have the sex appeal that her Brendan did! Why, he had merely to look at her, and she just melted all over! She wanted to be chocolate just so he could eat her up! Naughty, naughty! she thought to herself. Did he even like chocolate? She glanced at Piper and wondered if she was thinking the same kind of thoughts.

Piper was staring at Phoebe in shock, her hands frozen in place where she had been working on the biscuits. Surely her mind was playing tricks on her! That couldn't be her little sister, who was still just a child, moving on a man! Not just any man at that, but Joxer! Phoebe wouldn't want him even if she were old enough to be interested in such.

Feeling eyes on her, Piper turned to look at Prue, and her mouth fell open in growing shock at the dazed look on her older sister's face. She heard a sigh next to her elbow, and her attention moved to her other sister. "Yep," Paige said with a nod. "They've both got it bad."

"I don't understand," Piper whispered to her, shaking her head.

Paige quirked an eyebrow at her. "Come on. You do, too! I saw you looking at Cole!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Well, perhaps I did," Piper relented reluctantly, "but that's another matter! Phoebe's not old enough!"

"We're older than you think, Piper. You're still looking at us as kids," Paige gently told her, "but we're not any more." She reminded her of their age and watched the surprise register in her older sister's eyes.

"But -- "

She nodded. "Yes, we're your little sisters. We always will be, but we're just as much into it as Prue and you are. More so actually," Paige admitted.

"More so?" Piper repeated worriedly, her brows lifting slightly.

Paige nodded. Looking back at Phoebe, she told her, hoping she wouldn't kill them, "He won't be the first one."

"WHAT!" Piper thundered out in shock before she could stop herself.

Lorne was gazing intently at Piper, waiting for her to tell him what to do next. He was not really paying much attention to what was going on in the room, although he knew there was too much going on in there. The vibrations were killing him! "Miss Piper, what do I do next?"

"Wh-What?" Piper asked. Her ears heard him, but her shocked mind did not register his words. Lorne started to open his mouth to repeat his question, but she continued on, never truly noticing him. "Paige, you can't be serious!"

Paige nodded insistently. "Yes, I am, and she's not the only one." She gestured with her head to Lorne. "Mister Green wants you."

"Mister Green can do something else right now! Paige Halliwell, you can not be telling me that -- that you are -- are not -- are -- ! PRUE!"

Prue's mouth had fallen open at Paige's admission, and she had been staring at Phoebe and Paige in shock. She finally found her voice when Piper called to her in desperation. "When! Mom and Grams were always watching you two! How!"

"Remember that little school picnic for the younger grades?" Paige asked.

Piper nodded mutely.

"Then."

"Oh my Gods!" Prue gasped out. "You had a group orgy!"

Fred was sitting at one of the tables. She was so startled by the sisters' conversation that she did even realize that she was sitting next to a lioness. Her paled face was turned to the sisters, and her disbelieving eyes kept darting between them.

Crystal had been ignoring everything else, but Prue's last word demanded her attention. She blinked, coming to awareness of the situation around her. "Wh-What?" she asked quietly. Blue cooed, but she again ignored him as her eyes swept the room. The first person they fell on was Lorne, and her gaze seemed to become stuck on him. Why had she not noticed how handsome he looked in green before?

Lorne's startled eyes were drawn immediately to Crys, and his tongue grew dry in his throat. Gods, she was beautiful! He knew she'd never look at him yet she was doing precisely that! This was one Hell of a conversation going on around them and he felt as though he really shouldn't be eavesdropping, so he blocked them out, moving slowly over to stand by Crys.

He stuttered, at a loss for the first time as to what to say. He wanted to make a good impression, but he didn't know how to go about it. He'd never been very good with women but felt that this one really mattered, so he said the first thing that actually managed to come out of his mouth. "Beautiful day, ain't it?" he asked, realizing even as the words came out how inane they would sound.

"Day?" Crys repeated, her surprise registering on her face. Why, they could not see so much as one ray of sunlight! It was then that she heard the redhead's voice again.

"Of course it wasn't an orgy, Prue! What would make you think that?" Paige gasped. "Did you -- !"

Crys blushed at the girl's words, and it was then that she thought she realized Lorne's problem. "Perhaps we should give them the galley for a bit?"

"Please!" Lorne gasped out. "A breath of fresh air might help." He felt as though his collar was choking him, and he reached up a finger to loosen it.

She nodded and slipped from the chair, relieved to be out of the galley for more reasons than just the sisters' shocking debate. Her gaze was still on Lorne, and she realized that he must be supposed to be on kitchen duty. She smiled reassuringly at him as Blue settled on her shoulder. "You can tell Angel you were working on getting me calmed down enough to eat should you be caught." She started to step toward the door.

It was at just that moment that Cole shimmered in. It had taken him a while to take care of Jack's rum and go undetected while doing so. He was just in time to hear none other than Piper Halliwell's sweet mouth open in the most surprising words he could imagine coming from her. "Of course she didn't have an orgy, Paige!" His mouth fell open, but he closed it quickly and shimmered out of the galley, hoping he had gone undetected.


Lorne had followed Crys outside, opening the door for her. He was surprised as to how late it had gotten. He looked around but did not spy a chair for her to sit on. "I hope they're not like that all the time," Lorne said. "Miss Piper's supposed to be teaching me how to cook, but I don't think I can handle all that . . . talking."

"By the way, we had a rough introduction, and I would like to reintroduce myself." His eyes locked with hers as he made a little bow. "My name is Krevlornswath of the Deathswok clan. You can call me Lorne, and I am very pleased to meet you and your friends." He smiled at her. Was it his imagination or did she grow more beautiful by the minute?

Her breath caught in her throat at his dazzling smile. "I am Crystal Frost," she told him in a gentle voice, "but my friends call me Crys." She stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving his. She would have never thought that red eyes could be so enchanting, but she could not tear her gaze away from his.

Blue cooed softly from where he sat, perched on her shoulder. "Blue, don't be silly," she told him, barely giving the dragon any notice at all. "Pink dust, really! You've already done so much damage! Can't you at least behave while Lorne's around?"

His frustration with her was steadily increasing, and she gave a soft cry as he jumped up and down on her shoulder. "Blue!" she scolded, reaching up a hand to swat him. He sailed off of her shoulder to confront empty air. His wings beat frantically, and he cooed loudly in a rapid succession.

"Blue, that is enough!" Crystal snapped at him, but her gaze turned immediately away from him and back to Lorne. "I am sorry," she told him. "I just don't know what's wrong with him today. He's acting so crazy . . . " She shook her head, and her long, blonde hair shimmered around her in a golden cascade.

Never did they see the Goddess dressed in pink that the three animals were staring at nor the pink dust that she had sprinkled over them. Cindy and Elvira were watching the Golden Goddess, their tails twitching, but neither made a sound as she pressed her finger to her lips, made a shushing noise, and vanished.

Blue cocked his head to one side, clearly stunned. "Coo?" he questioned the suddenly empty air. Could that truly have been Aphrodite?

Lorne moved until he was an air's breath away from Crys. "Are you okay?" he asked in deep concern, worried because she had cried out.

She nodded but couldn't help glancing at her shoulder. "I'm just . . . surprised," she answered quietly, eyeing the little holes Blue's talons had made in her dress. "He's never behaved this way before. He's always so careful to be gentle, but . . ." She shook her head, her voice trailing off.

Lorne couldn't seem to help himself as he reached out and stroked her hair back from her shoulder. There appeared to be a few tiny droplets of blood on her shoulder. "Maybe we should get you some medical care? It could be that he's filling the effects of the full moon coming; you get a bigger dose when you're out at sea. What was he saying about pink dust? I couldn't quite make it out."

She released a soft breath of air as his gentle touch sent sparks shooting all the way through her body. "I'm not sure either. He claimed that some one was throwing dust at us, but I certainly didn't see anything. Did you?" Her eyes searched his.

"I didn't see any one," Lorne replied, "but there are beings that one can't normally see. I haven't heard of any of them sprinkling pink dust, though . . . unless . . . I wonder if it could be from that fairy?"

She quirked a questioning brow at him. "Fairy?"

"Yes. Jack has a friend, another Captain, who claims to be always bothered by fairies throwing dust at him."

"It couldn't be a fairy," she told him, confusion creasing her brow.

"We wouldn't have seen them if it was. They're so tiny that you'll miss them unless you know what to look for and are paying very close attention."

"I grew up exposed to such, though," she explained. "I would have been sure to see her."

He listened to her words in amazement. "You grew up around Faeries? Where? I've never actually seen one myself, although I know they're there."

"Up North," she answered.

"There are a lot of faeries up North? Where up at North?"

"At the North Pole." She stopped, her eyes widening at the admission she'd just made.

"The North Pole!" Lorne exclaimed. He knew she was an Ice Elemental and that she would have had to have come from somewhere cold but the North Pole! "Is there -- ?" he almost asked, his voice trailing off at first and then finally coming out a little stronger. "Are there really reindeers that can fly?"

She nodded but misinterpreted the expression in his eyes. Her gaze fell from his, her head turning to look down at the deck below their feet. "You probably think I'm rather insane now."

"Why? Do you think I'm insane?" Lorne questioned. "I'm a Demon. I think it's great that you've actually been to the North Pole and saw the reindeer! Is there a Santa Claus?" he finally asked the question that was driving him crazy. He hoped she wouldn't laugh at him.

Her eyes rose cautiously back up to his. She smiled slowly, realizing that he was serious and truly did not think her crazy. "I've more than just been there," she told him. "I grew up there, and yes, the legends are true."

"You've actually seen Santa Claus!"

Though her smile stayed in place, sadness touched her eyes. "He was like a grandfather to me."

"I know you must miss your home. I wish I had some place like that that I could return to. They must miss you terribly."

She shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "No," she spoke quietly, her voice barely audible. "They probably never even think about me, and you're wrong on the other, as well. I can never return there." Why was she telling him this? She shouldn't have even admitted coming from the North Pole, and yet, she just couldn't shut up!

"But why, Crys? I could take you there. Jack would, too."

"I . . . " her gaze shifted again from his, " . . . am not allowed."

"You're banned from your country? How horrible!" He paused before admitting, "So am I. I could never go home again, even if I wanted to. My Mother hates me."

"What!" Crys queried, her widened, ice blue eyes snapping back to his in surprise. "How could your mother hate you?"

"She hates me so much that the last time she saw me, she had my head cut off."

Crys gave a sharp gasp but could not think of a single word to say. Her eyes flew frantically over his neck, looking for any sign of where his head had been sewn back on. "But -- But you seem to be fine!"

"Angel found me and got my body and head reunited. That old bitch had paid some one to destroy my body, but they hadn't gotten around to it. Thank the Gods for small favors! If they had destroyed my body, I'd be dead now. I know you don't believe me, but it's true. You could ask Angel."

"I don't think you would lie, Lorne, let alone make something up like that. I've just . . . never heard of such before, and believe me, with a background like mine, that's saying a lot." She hesitated a moment before raising a hand up to gently touch his neck. "How did you survive?" she asked, concern shining in her eyes.

"I'm not really sure. What Angel said it was was that as long as my body was intact, my head would exist, but how they rejoined, I have no ideal! Even Doctor Doom couldn't explain it! See, in the place I come from, things are not beautiful and beings are not kind. They are evil to each other, and they hate music. I love music, and I've always been inclined to be good and kind. My Mother always told me that I was weak like my Father who she ate. She was planning on eating my head." He shuddered at the thought.

"My Gods!" Crys couldn't help exclaiming. "I thought nobody could be worse than my uncle, but at least he's never eaten his family! Killed, yes, but eaten -- !" She stopped, realizing what she had said, and her hand flew to her mouth. Why did she keep doing this, telling him so much! If she kept going, she'd place his life in even more danger than Blue had put Angel's!

Lorne reached for her hand and held it gently. "There are a few other things you need to know about me. One is that Elvira almost killed me today. My heart's not where human hearts are. It's in my left buttcheek." He waited for that to sink in.

Crys was shaking her head in disbelief. "You undoubtedly have the strangest physiology I have ever heard of!" she finally managed to get out. "But she didn't mean you any harm. I-I'm sure she didn't know . . . "

"It's okay, Crys; I understand," he assured her with a small smile. "She didn't know, but now you all know," he said, looking at the others to make sure that they were listening. "The second thing is that I am an empath. Do you know what that is?"

She started to nod, but her head froze in the stride of the gesture. Her eyes widened slightly. Had he been reading her?

"I didn't purposefully read any one in the room," he spoke as though in answer to her unspoken question, "but the emotions were getting so out of hand in there that I couldn't help picking up on them. I wasn't able to get a clear reading, but they were about to overpower me." He gently caressed her cheek. "Why are you so frightened?" he asked. "I won't let anything hurt you." He gazed at her with such intense love that she couldn't help but to feel it.

His gentle caress set her very soul to quivering, and the way he looked at her, with such love shining in every inch of his face and eyes, made her lips ache with the strangest feeling. She wanted to kiss him, she realized, but she knew better. "Lorne," she told him, speaking both softly and slowly and having to fight her emotions to be able to choose her words, "I can't . . . "

"You can't . . . or you're afraid to tell me?" he asked, continuing to stroke her cheek.

She raised a hand to cup his, stilling it in mid-stroke. She hated to stop his touch but knew she had to if she were to keep what little control she had left. "It would put you in danger." She paused for a brief second, then added, "You're already in danger just by standing here with me."

"Then may my life be forever in danger, because I want to be near you and I . . . " His voice trailed off even as his lips reached for hers. He could no more stop himself from kissing this beautiful creature than he could have stopped a hurricane. The emotions that her delicious taste sent spiraling through him were so intense that, once again, he felt as though he was drowning. This time, however, he didn't care, because he wanted to drown in her.

She stood as still as a statue as his lips touched hers, but as emotions unlike any she'd ever felt before swept from his kiss throughout her entire being, setting her very core on fire for him, she began kissing him back. Her lips parted under his, her tongue gently probing for permission. Her hand moved from his to go to his face even as her other hand caressed his chest.

They blended together, the world around them completely forgotten as molten lava claimed their very souls.


Jack made his way to the galley, and as he turned to walk down the side of the ship where it was located, his startled eyes encountered Lorne locked deeply in an embrace with Crys. He breathed a deep sigh. He knew he'd never feel the pleasure that they were now experiencing, and he did everything he could to be quiet and not disturb them. Reaching out, he turned the door to the galley and heard a cacophony of women's raised voices discussing sex and orgies. They grew suddenly quiet at his appearance, none of them daring to meet his gaze.

"How's the food coming, Miss Piper?" he asked to break the air.

Piper glared at Paige before turning to the Captain. "We will have the appetizers shortly, sir. We just seem to be enduring one . . . " she glanced meaningfully at her younger sisters, " . . . interruption after another."

His voice came reassuringly. "Well, carry on then, and may I see you for a few minutes, Miss Prue, alone?" He stressed the word even as he heard Piper ask in confusion about where Lorne had gone.

"Yes, sir," Prue replied and prepared to follow him outside.

Before exiting, Jack turned to look at Piper. "I would give him just a few more minutes, Miss Piper. He's . . . busy at the moment." In fact, he thought to himself, he had never seen Lorne so busy before, and he was happy to see him that busy. He followed Prue out and walked over to the railing where she was standing, looking out to sea.

"As Brendan's closest relative, I have had to take it upon myself to come and talk with you, Miss Halliwell," he said in his deep, calm voice. "What are your intentions toward Brendan? I need to know. Brendan has a lot of problems; I won't stand by and see him hurt."

Prue looked at the Captain. "I . . . love him," she answered. "I don't know how it happened so quickly. I wasn't expecting it or looking for it, but that one brief moment we had before he wolfed felt so right." She turned around and looked accusingly at him as though it was his fault.

Jack thought that she was a lovely young woman and he was happy she was in love with Brendan. "It's not my right to tell you all of Brendan's story, but I will tell you enough so that you can understand what's going on. A long time ago, and yet not so long ago for it feels like only yesterday when I found him, he was a prisoner of a really wicked woman. She abused him and did all manner of unspeakable things to him, trying to make him wolf out and kill for her. No matter what she did to him, he fought back against her by refusing to do what she was trying to force him to do, yet he still did not attack her savagely. He fears that he is a very weak person when, in fact, I think he's one of the strongest I've ever known."

Prue gazed intently at Jack, listening to every word. Jack continued, "I think that Brendan will love deeply when he finally lets himself go, but he holds such a tight hold on himself that it's as though the boy's trying to explode." Prue nodded; she had noticed what a tight grip Brendan seemed to have on himself. She said nothing, however, but merely stood and listened.

"He had no indication that you were excited by him before your encounter which caught him quite by surprise. He can not control his wolf, and he fears that it will hurt you. He spoke of going away, and I simply can not allow that, Miss Halliwell. He means too much to me, so I will have to ask you to stay away from him."

Prue could not stand the thought that Brendan would go away from his family and friends simply to avoid her! "Captain, I love him. I don't want to cause him any harm or anguish, but I don't want to lose him either!"

Jack gazed into her eyes that were now filling with tears and knew that she spoke the truth. "It is going to be a long, hard process, but Brendan does care for you or at least he would if he'd allow himself. I got him to admit that. There is one that might be able to help him to control himself. In the meantime, I want your word that you will stay away from him."

"When the time is right, or he feels that it might be right, you will be allowed to see him under a heavily armed escort but not alone. I want your word that you will not sneak around and try to see him. It is for his own good as well as yours. Your mere presence makes the wolf want to come out which, in some ways, I see as a good sign. Brendan's a virgin, even though that bitch had him for a long time. She could not draw as much power from a non-virgin as she could from a virgin, and like I already told you, she's pure evil."

"I will protect him against anything, Captain Jack," Prue vowed, "even from my unwanted attentions."

"Oh, they're wanted," Jack assured her. "He just can't handle them. It's the first time I have ever actually been able to get Brendan to change his mind even a little bit. What he feels for you is strong enough that he is willing to work on getting the wolf under control. What you've got to figure out, Miss Prue, is if you want to wait for him and rather you want to do what you can when you can for him."

Prue glanced at her feet first. She wanted to yell out to the world that she wanted Brendan in the worst kind of way, but she knew that she would have to have something that she was not very long on. That was patience. She was willing to work on it, though. "I will do anything I can for him," she promised, gazing into Jack's eyes. "I want to be with him as soon as you feel it's safe, and I don't care if the whole world looks on! I just want to feel his arms around me, his lips on mine! I love him! Just please don't make it too long!"

Jack had to look away, because he couldn't stand to see a woman crying as Prue was. He very awkwardly slipped his arms around her and patted her back. "Dry your tears, Miss Halliwell. I have a very good feeling that between all of us, we are going to beat that wolf, but we all have to be strong and patient."

He did not tell her what would happen should the consequences get out of hand, because he did not want to think about it. The very thought of hitting Brendan hurt him, but he did what he had to do. He would talk to Brendan again and see if perhaps he could control himself enough to talk through a window or something to Prue. It would do them both good to have time together. "I won't pressure him into anything, but know that I will do whatever I can to help you two be happy together."

"Thank you, Captain Jack," she whispered as she swiped her tears away.

"Call me Jack, Miss Prue. I'm only a man. I'm not the Captain; he's just my title. I'm merely doing what I can to take care of my family, and now you're one of them too." He slipped off before she could say anything else, leaving her to mull over what they had just talked about. He headed straight back for Brendan's office.


Wesley returned to his lab. Looking at both bags, he wondered whether he should see Will or Elizabeth first. Maybe Will? he thought. If he could get Will up and going, perhaps it would lift Jack's spirits? It had been a rough day on all concerned, and he could tell that Jack was getting depressed. Once he slowed down, it would be a quick descent, and there was no rum to help him fight it. Will would be just the medicine Jack needed, so Wesley picked up the bag that was intended for Will and headed for the Pearl.

At the railing, he grabbed a rope and almost flew across. He really loved the ropes that Jack had installed all around both ships. It gave one a feeling of flying, and if there was one thing Wes wanted to do desperately, it was to fly. He knew he'd never get off the ground other than by way of the ropes, so he always enjoyed the trip over. He reached the Captain's door and knocked on it. "Will?"


As Jack neared Brendan's office, he called to Angel. "Thanks, Angel, for watching Brendan for me. Now I need you to do something else. I know you're dying to get back to the Princess, but I've got one more little favor. Could you please tell Wolf that I need to see him immediately?"

"Just as soon as I can find him, Jack," Angel replied, "and you're welcome." He slipped away even as he heard Jack knock on the door.

"Brendan, it's me. Do you need anything?"

"How did she take it?" came the soft reply through the door.

"She says she's willing to wait for you no matter how long it takes and that she wants to be with you as soon as she can be. I told her I didn't know when that would be, but maybe . . . Do you think you could handle talking through the window to her? You couldn't see each other, but at least you could hear her voice and she could hear yours."

"Not yet," Brendan told him. "Jack, I almost choked Angel not too long ago simply for appearing interested in her. There's no telling what I'd do if I were confronted with her right now -- in any manner."

"Okay, but when you're ready, let me know." Jack sat down on the deck, his back pressed against Brendan's door.

"I will," Brendan called back, "and thanks."

"You're welcome, Brendan. If you need anything, just tell me."

"I will," Brendan assured him. The sound of his rumbling stomach filled the room, but knowing that there was still not any food to be had for Jack would have brought him some if there was, he did not speak again.


Will had already been up and had been about to leave the cabin in search of Jack when a knock and voice sounded at the door. It took him a moment to recognize the voice of Doctor Doom as it had been so long since he'd last heard it, but the second he did, he strode quickly over to the door and opened it.

Wes' mouth fell open as he took in Will's appearance. How had the boy even been able to get to the door to open it? He knew he had been at death's door earlier that day, but now he could not even see a spot of blood on him although his clothes were still ragged. "Will?" He walked inside and turned around to look at him. "I thought you were almost dead? What happened?"

Will spread his hands apart even as he shrugged. "Evidently I live."

"Jack didn't say anything about your getting healed. He just told me to bring these things to you."

Will glanced questioningly at the bag. He knew it couldn't be food and ignored the growling of his stomach. "Where is Jack?" he asked instead, looking back up at Wesley.

"He's guarding Brendan at the moment. He's had one of his spells. Jack said these things belong to you." He ignored Will's rumbling stomach and his own, as well. "The new cooks are attempting to get some food. If you're able to travel, I'll wait for you and we'll go back over to the Witch together." He was eager to see what was in the bag and wondered why Will was not looking into it.

"I guess you could leave it there until I can find out from Jack where I'm staying at," Will told Wes, gesturing to the bag he still held. He didn't know what was in it, and though he was curious, his longing to be near Jack again, to talk to him now that he was conscious and could let him know that he was, far eclipsed his need or want for anything else.

"You're not going to look in the bag?" Wes questioned. "Whatever's in there must be pretty important. Jack stole it for you."

"He did what!" Will nearly screeched, his eyes widening in shock.

"At least, I think he stole it. He didn't say if he bought or stole it, but we're Pirates so I figured that he stole it."

Will shook his head. If there was any chance that Jack had stolen it, he didn't need to get into it and should make him take it back. He stopped for a moment, surprise slowly dawning over his face. Then again, he was the son of a Pirate and was determined to live a Pirate's life from that day on, so why should it matter if it was stolen? "Why, heck, it doesn't!" he answered his own question aloud. He strode over to Wes. "Give me that bag, matey."

It was so unusual for Will to talk piratical talk that Wes couldn't help laughing. He handed the bag to him, curiosity causing him to watch Will's every movement.

Will opened the bag, peered into its depth, and almost stopped breathing at what he saw. Slowly, he withdrew one sword while letting the rest of the bag fall, completely forgotten, to the deck. The sword he held was one that he had made himself but had never belonged to him. It was the Governor's sword. Letting an oath slip from his lips, he looked back up at Wesley with dire urgency in his eyes. "You said Jack's guarding Brendan?"

"Yes, and he won't leave his side for a while yet."

"In the cage or somewhere else?"

"He's at the med-room."

Without another word, Will tossed the Governor's sword to the bag and raced from the room, barely even taking the time to open the door. Wes followed in his wake, wondering what was going through the young man's mind. He figured, from seeing the sword, that the stuff in the bag had belonged to the Governor. He knew what Jack had done just as Angel and Brendan had known, but he would never have knowingly told a living soul. The Governor's murder was something that had needed doing. It was a long time overdue, and only Jack had been able to do it. Jack had done like he usually did and done what had to be did. Wesley followed right on Will's heels. He prayed that Will was not about to attack Jack over what he had done to the Governor.

To Be Continued . . .