Chapter Twenty-seven
Jack had not had sleep for several days and was completely exhausted from all his exertions of the day. He had not meant to fall asleep, but his head had fallen back against the door and, seconds later, he had slipped into slumber.
Will's heart was pounding as his footsteps thudded across the deck. He dove around people and objects alike, taking notice of nothing as he swiftly made his way to Brendan's office. He came to a halt so suddenly that Wesley almost collided with his back. Jack sat in front of Brendan's door, his clothes covered with blood, and Will's heart fell. Jack had done exactly what he had feared.
Dropping beside Jack, Will shook him. "Jack! Jack, wake up!"
"Huh?" Jack responded groggily. "Brendan?" He was not expecting Will to be in his face, let alone to be angry. "Will?" he asked, a look of confusion on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Jack, tell me you didn't do what I think you did!" Will pleaded. "Tell me the blood all over you doesn't belong to who I think it does!"
Jack looked down at his clothes. He had forgotten he was covered in blood. Oops, he thought. That's a Hell of a way for Will to see me! He had wanted to look so nice and fine for his beloved. He had started out looking that way in the outfit he had bought for Will's wedding, but the rest of the day had gone to Hell in a handbasket. The clothes he had on now were a far cry from what he had started out with, and even they were ruined.
He was still more asleep than he was awake. Why was Will angry? he wondered. "Will, are you okay?" he queried in a concerned voice. "I can't tell you what I don't know. You haven't accused me of anything yet." His voice rose as he woke up more. "Who do you think I've got on me?"
"Jack, tell me you didn't kill the Governor!"
Jack looked at him with a bemused smile on his face. "Can't tell you that, Will. I have the blood of a swine on me, and I must stink to the high heavens! Me thinks I need a bath!" He got shakily to his feet and backed up against the ship railing.
"Why are you so angry, Will? I thought you'd be glad to see me." His voice sounded as though he had been drinking a lot of rum when in truth he had not had a drop but longed for one desperately. He looked down at himself in disgust and, being not fully awake, he stumbled and fell backwards over the ship's railing.
For the second time that day, Will reacted before his thoughts could catch up to him. He saw Jack fall and sprang into action, running across the deck to the railing and taking a sailing leap into the air. His boots did not even brush the railing as he dove right over it and into the water after Jack.
Jack came up gasping for air, the water having cleared his brain, and looked at Will again. "Damn! I really do need a bath!" he muttered. "Now you want to run that past me again? Why are you so mad at me?" He looked at Will in bewilderment. What bloke had been stupid enough to tell Will that he had killed the Governor?
"Jack, please," Will spoke, struggling to keep from begging though he was relieved that he appeared to be coming back to his senses now, "tell me the truth. You said it was a swine, and I suppose if it is him, that is the truth. But regardless, I'm sure the swine had a name."
"Most of the scum of the Earth does have a name, Will," Jack said in all seriousness, "and I can not tell you a lie. After what he did to you, I paid him back. You can hate me for it, but I did it and I'm glad I killed him. He had to pay for all the people he's hurt, Will. He's been getting away with it for a long time, but when he touched you, something went crazy in me. When I saw what had happened to you because of him, it was more than I could bare. I killed the bastard, and I'm glad I did it!"
"DAMN IT, JACK!" Will hit the water in his anger, but it only splashed against both of them, soaking them even more. "The entire city's going to be after you now!"
"It doesn't matter any more, Will; Port Royal's gone. So much has happened today, but evil destroyed its own. Some of us almost didn't make it out of there. I knew the town was corrupt. I just didn't know how bad it was."
Will looked at him in surprise. "What happened," he asked, "and did everybody make it out?"
"I don't know where to begin, Will, but I think it needs to wait until we get out of this water. I could use a good bath. I feel so dirty, and I'm so tired all of a sudden! It's been such a long day!" His mind was rambling even as a rope was thrown down to them and Wes' concerned face hung over the railing.
"Jack, you want to be getting out of there now?"
"Might be a good ideal, Wes. Oh, I almost forgot, Will. A friend of yours is here." He grabbed a hold of the rope and held it out to Will. "You go first."
Wolverine had managed to come out and leave 'Ro for a few minutes to smoke. She had finally given up corralling the winds and was resting. The poor woman was plumb tuckered out. He had come out just in time to hear Wes trying to coax Jack to come out of the water. He threw another rope down. "Grab a hold of that, Jack, and I'll pull you out."
"Not till Will gets out," Jack protested.
"You'll both get pulled out at the same time if you'll grab a hold of that, Jack." Wolverine gazed at the man that he loved as a son and could not believe how crappy he had come to look in one day. The poor boy had been through Hell. He looked at Will. "Grab a hold of the other one, Will. Show him you're coming out or he'll never get out of there."
Will nodded, grabbing Wesley's rope with one hand. He was glad that Wolverine had shown up with another rope, because there was no way that he would have gone ahead of Jack in the condition his love was in. "I'm not leaving you down here, Jack. You're too tired. You take Wolverine's, and I'll go up Wesley's."
"Go ahead, Wolverine; pull me up," Jack called without even making an effort to get out. He just held onto the rope. Wolverine pulled him so hard that he was all but thrown onto the deck like a landed fish. Jack lay where he fell.
Wesley pulled Will up, but he also climbed up the rope, making the process faster and keeping from putting quite as much strain on Wes. Will's head poked over the railing to see Jack continuing to lay on the deck. He wanted to rush immediately to him but knew that he could not. Looking at the other men, he asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"Well, let me see," Wolverine started. "It might be easier to say what ain't wrong with him. I would say that he is totally exhausted and has had one Hell of a day. He probably just needs a couple hours' o' shut-eye which he's not going to let himself get." A snore answered him in denial, and all three men turned to look at Jack in surprise.
Will shook his head and started forward at the same time as Wolverine. He beat Wolverine to Jack, however, and picked him up. Toting him carefully though he appeared to be slung precariously over his shoulder, Will carried Jack to the cabin. He was about to lay him down when Wolverine, who he had not realized had accompanied him, commanded, "Don't put him on the bed with his wet clothes on; strip him."
"Huh!" Will's head jerked up at him as he looked at the older man in shock.
"Oh for Gods' sakes!" Wolverine growled. He began to strip Jack even while Will was still holding him; he noticed with an amused grin that the boy shut his eyes. "Now put him in the bed."
Will reached out a hand and patted the bed blindly to ascertain that it was indeed the right place before finally relinquishing Jack. He straightened and turned back to Wolverine; only then, with his back facing Jack's naked body, did Will reopen his eyes. He prayed that Wolverine wouldn't say anything.
"Ya know he wouldn't have bit ya, Will, an' he would have done the same for you."
"I know he would have, but he deserves his privacy."
"Well, he just didn't get it, son," Wolverine growled. "It's more important that he doesn't catch his death o' cold. We'd better get outta here and let him rest for a little while." Wolverine reached out and pulled a blanket over Jack's lower part. He didn't figure it would stay on long as Jack was one who hardly ever covered even on the coldest nights.
An anguished snore followed their retreating forms. It sounded for all the world like Jack was trying to gobble something up, and it took everything Wolverine could do to keep from laughing out loud. He picked Jack's discarded clothes up with his claws. "These are fit for nothing but the trashpile," he explained to Will as he tossed them into a nearby barrel. The men then walked out together, leaving Jack to his slumber.
They paid no heed to anything around them for they were completely lost in the world of sensations they had created in each other. Their hands roamed each other's bodies freely as their kiss grew steadily hotter.
Suddenly, Lorne felt his pants being tugged. One of his hands reached around to see what it was only to connect with Elvira's nose. For the first time, his other senses kicked in, and he quickly released Crys as he heard the growling of her animals. "What in the Hell's wrong with you animals! You must not approve of me, but Crys seems to." He still held her in his arms but did not continue with the kiss.
She blinked up at him as the daze of her thoughts slowly cleared. Her heart was still hammering in her chest as she began to hear her trio's voices raised in warnings and complaints. She continued to gaze up at Lorne even as Cindy let out an especially ferocious growl, reminding her how foolish she was being. It was only then that the full realization of what she had just done hit her. She had kissed Lorne, and though her body was still thrilling from it and her lips longed to drink of him again with a need as desperate as though she was dying of thirst, she knew it had been a mistake . . . a dreadful mistake that would ensure his death. Tears filled her eyes at that thought. "Oh Gods!" She started to pull away from him.
Lorne felt her pushing away at him, and he released her. Oh my Gods! he thought. She's finally come to her senses and doesn't want me touching her! "Crys?" he asked her worriedly, refusing to completely let go. "What's wrong?"
"I -- I shouldn't have!" The words tumbled from her mouth. Elvira, hearing her mistress' panicked exclamation and knowing that Crys had finally returned to her senses, released Lorne's pants. "Oh Gods! He'll -- He'll -- " Crystal couldn't bring herself to say the words. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "Oh Gods!" Forcing herself to snatch away from him, she turned and fled.
His anguished cry of "CRYS, PLEASE DON'T GO!" carried behind her even as his hands clutched at the empty air where she had been only moments before. Crystal's animals followed her as swiftly as she had fled from him. Lorne's mind reeled at the sensations that still tingled his body. He breathed a deep sigh, turned, and headed back toward the galley. He wasn't sure what had just happened but was very thankful nonetheless. For the first time in his life, he had been kissed by a beautiful woman even if she had finally come to her senses and ran like Hell from him. He held the memory of her kiss to his heart where he would treasure it forever.
He put his hand on the galley door but hated to open it for fear that the Halliwells would still be discussing rather loudly the subject he had fled from. He would have liked to have followed Crys, but he knew better for when he caught her, she would only slap him or, worse yet, yell and scream at him to keep his green filth away from her. He went into the galley to see that, in his absence, Ororo had arrived and succeeded in quieting the sisters. He gave them a small smile and returned to where he had left his bowl only to find it gone. He looked at Piper questioningly.
"You did fine," Piper answered him as soon as she caught his questioning look. "The appetizers are cooking now." She paused, then added considerably sheepishly, "And I must apologize for earlier. Paige's announcement just came as such a . . . such a shock . . . " She tried to explain, shaking her head even as her embarrassed gaze fell to the meat she was currently working on.
"Don't worry about it, Miss Piper. I've heard worst conversations." He sniffed the air, and a delicious aroma filled his nostrils. "If they taste half as good as they smell, I can hardly wait to eat one!" He wondered what the final product would look like.
"Oh, they do!" Paige, who still stood nearby Piper and seemed to be in a much better mood, quickly assured him.
"What do we do next?" Lorne asked, hoping that it was something that would keep his hands busy and his mind occupied and off of a certain blonde.
Piper had walked over and picked up a small bottle. Turning back to Lorne, she told him, "You can help me with the chicken. We need to get it torn up and add a few ingredients."
He looked in a pan that was sitting next to Piper. He saw about twenty birds in there. They were all plucked and looked as if they had already been cooked. "What do we pull off of there, and how do we tear it up?" he questioned.
Piper set the vial down next to the bowl before picking up one of the chickens. "You use your fingers to tear it up," she began to explain, "but you only want the good meat." She tore off a piece and held it up to him so that he could get a good look at it. "That's fat," she told him, "but it's still all right for the animals, just not for hu -- for two-leggers like us."
He watched in rapt attention as Piper continued to pull the chicken apart, tearing the good parts into even smaller bite-size pieces but dropping the fat into another container. He grimaced at the fat. He did not relish touching it but did want to cook, so he grabbed another bird and began to copy what she was doing. He quickly discovered that it wasn't really as bad as it looked. He could hardly wait to taste the appetizer. Its mouth-watering aroma was driving him crazy, and his stomach rumbled hungrily.
Crystal's tears would not stop falling as she ran, sobbing quietly. Her mind whirled even as her feet pounded the deck. Oh Gods, what had she done! How could she have been so foolish as to endanger the life of such a remarkable gentleman! That one kiss would burn her forever, but it would also spell his doom.
Her animals called after her as they chased behind her, wanting to catch her so that they could calm her down and perhaps even cheer her up. She ignored them as she continued to run, racing over an ice bridge she'd quickly made and melting it just as swiftly so that Lorne could not follow her. She had not dared to look behind her and did not know if he was attempting to or not. She never saw where she was going for the tears that blurred her vision.
Cordelia was on her third trip around the ship in search of Angel when the sounds of quiet sobbing caught her ears. She turned in the direction of the sound only to find Elizabeth crying by the railing, her face hidden by a handkerchief. She barely knew the woman and desperately wanted to find Angel, corner him, and find out precisely why he had been running from her ever since the wondrous kiss they'd shared earlier that day, but though she tried to turn away from Elizabeth, she found that she could not. With a soft sigh, she turned and approached the blonde. "Elizabeth," she asked, concern etched in her voice, "what's wrong?"
Elizabeth glanced at her through the tears that filled her eyes. Her mouth opened, but what Cordelia thought was to be her answer turned out to be another sob instead. Her heart stilled as she looked deeper into the other woman's eyes and saw the pain that was almost hidden by the sadness. "Something . . . Nothing happened . . . " She could think of the right way to ask her so she spoke instead, "Will's okay, isn't he?"
"Oh, yes," Elizabeth responded. Cordelia's head jerked back in surprise by the sarcasm that dripped in the blonde's tone. "Actually," she continued, her voice gentling, "he's miraculously healed."
"Then what . . . ?" Cordelia's voice trailed off, and she shook her head slightly. Why was the woman so upset if her betrothed was healed? It was then that she remembered Port Royal. "Oh," she spoke softly, realizing that Elizabeth must have lost family there, "I'm so sorry."
Elizabeth looked at her questioningly. "For what?"
"For . . . For your family."
Elizabeth glanced away at that. She knew she should be in grieving for her father. A part of her did ache terribly at the knowledge that he was gone forever, but she was more relieved by far that she would never again have to be faced with the thing that her beloved father had become. "It's . . . It's not that . . . "
"Then what on Earth is it?" Cordelia was at a lost. If her fiancé was fine and she did not care for her family, what in the world was wrong with the woman?
"I . . . " Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she turned her gaze back to Cordelia's. She could see the true concern in the brunette's eyes, and it touched her heart. Her mother's early death and her own status as an only child had left Elizabeth to never know what it was like to have another female care for her. Oh, her maids had cared and one or two had even tried to befriend her. They had all been paid to care, however, and those who had tried harder had only tried in hopes that they would be able to somehow use friendship with some one of her social status to their advantage. Yet Cordelia barely knew her and already cared. "He broke off our engagement," she found herself blurting out to the other woman.
"What!" Cordelia exclaimed, surprise registering both in her face and her widened eyes. "But -- But I thought you were to be married this very day!"
"We were," Elizabeth shook her head sadly, "but he never wanted to marry me."
"Then why . . . ?"
She sighed and shook her head again. "Believe me, I've wondered myself. I just can't understand it, not all of it any way, but he never loved me. He said he only thought he did before he went off to rescue me and found himself at sea."
"How would finding himself make him fall out of love with you?"
"He did not only find himself," Elizabeth explained, unable to meet her gaze and looking past her shoulder instead, "but the one he truly loves."
"But I thought the only women on here before today were either married or had partners of . . . of another sort?" Cordelia shook her head in confusion.
"Well, there's also that Faith," Elizabeth told her, "but that doesn't matter. It's . . . " She chewed nervously on her bottom lip.
"It's all right," Cordelia told her, her gaze catching Elizabeth's and bringing the blonde's eyes to look back into her own. "You can tell me, and it will not go any further. It would probably do you good to talk about it."
Elizabeth shook her head. She knew better for her talk with Jack had not helped her in the slightest. She started to speak again, but her words froze on her tongue as she saw the strangest procession she had ever seen crossing what her eyes told her was a bridge of ice.
Cordelia turned to see what she was staring at. Unlike Elizabeth, who had been too upset over Will at the time, she had seen the blonde with the animals before, but the ice bridge brought a gasp from her. They watched together as the blonde and her animals raced over the bridge and it melted behind them, but what made Cordelia gasp in even greater shock was the man whose arms the blonde ran right into and who held her far closer than was to Cordelia's liking. "So that's what he's been up to!" she fumed aloud, her hazel eyes burning at the sight.
Angel had been walking along, checking the different rooms of the ship and hoping for a sight of Cordelia. He knew where Wolf was but wasn't going to interrupt him at the moment. He had no ideal where the Princess had gone, however. He had not even been able to spot Elizabeth or any of the other ladies. It was like the Earth had opened up and swallowed them.
He had finished checking the rooms on one side of the ship and gone around the corner to start checking on the other rooms when something hit him flat in the chest. His hands instinctively caught whatever it was, and he realized by the scent that it was Crys in a distraught manner. "Crys, what's wrong? Has some one done something to upset you?"
He could hear Blue cooing and telling her to calm down, so he figured she had merely gotten into a fight with somebody. His life seemed to be full of distraught women. He knew the first thing he had to do was to get her to quit crying for tears were always a man's undoing. He lifted her chin, swiped her hair out of her face, reached for his handkerchief, and began to dry her tears gently while giving her time to calm enough to respond to him.
She was too upset to pull away from him, and her self-loathing and sadness shone in her tear-filled eyes. "Gods, Angel," she asked him in sheer desperation, "why did I ever listen to you? I was such an idiot!"
"Which time are you referring to, Crys?"
"Every time!" she exclaimed with a shake of her head. "First I endangered you all by coming aboard, and it only keeps getting worse! My Gods, Blue's condemned you and then I -- Dear Gods, I was such a fool! I knew he'd put your death into motion, and then I had to go and do the same to Lorne!"
"Lorne!" he asked. "What did you do to Lorne?" He wondered if Elvira had bit him in the butt again, this time too near his heart. "Is he okay?"
"He is for now, but he won't be as soon as that bastard knows what I did! Gods, I should never have kissed him! What's wrong with me!"
Angel was confused. There seemed to be an awful lot of women kissing men on the ship. Usually the same men had trouble getting a woman to even talk to them when they paid for it, let alone getting kissed, but now suddenly the most beautiful women Angel had ever seen were kissing them! He looked in her eyes. "Stop crying, Crys. The world is not worth even one single tear from your beautiful eyes. I imagine Lorne thinks he's in Heaven right now. It's not the end of the world because you kissed him. In fact, Lorne is probably cherishing every second you gave him."
"You just don't know what it's like for us guys. We spend our entire lives working hard -- and yes, piracy is hard work -- but we never get a chance with a real woman to pay us more than a passing glance! For some reason, though, we have been rewarded today! Angels have been kissing us lowly males, and I thank the Gods for it!" He paused, searching for the right words. "Even I was kissed, and believe me, I enjoyed every second of it!"
"But, Angel, whoever kissed you did not endanger you by doing so! That's what you don't understand! If he has any idea what I did to Lorne -- and he will find out; he always does -- he'll kill him! One thought! That's all it takes! I might as well have killed him by kissing him!"
"Remember, dear lady, I told you he can't track you. The ships are still masked, and we're moving. He has to see you to be able to read your thoughts even. You did not endanger Lorne. You might have gotten him really excited," he said with a grin, "but he's not in danger."
"Angel, you don't know him the way I do! I don't know how he does it, but he always finds out!"
Angel put his finger on her lips. "It's because he tracks you, sees you," he tapped her forehead gently, "and then he reads what's up here. You carry the guilt of the world on your shoulders, Crys. For once, try to relax just a little. You are safer now than you have ever been."
"I've heard that before," she told him. "The place that I grew up at is supposed to be safe. They always said it was, but it never was." She shook her head. "And that's not how he does it. You saw the crystal. It protects me unless I take it off. That's why I've been able to keep hidden as much as I have."
"But you took it off in port. That's why he was looking for you there. Don't take it off again for anything. Then he won't be able to find you."
"It's not that simple, and you know it. You saw what it's capable of doing, but it can only heal beings who are that close to death's door by being put around their necks."
"Where did you get the crystal? Is it possible that we could get more of them?"
She shook her head. "There's only one other like it. Jack gave it to me, and he wears the other one."
"But you don't know where he got it from?"
"No," she answered, "but he told me there were only two in the whole world. Believe me, with the way that boy travels, he'd know."
"He probably knows a lot of things, Crys, but there are places that not even he can go. Usually he can not come here. The tropics are too hot for him, so he wouldn't know everything that was here." He thought for a minute. "We can search for one here. If we find one, we might even get lucky enough to find others. I know some one who can be of help. I will consult with them and find out if they know anything."
"In the meantime, try to have patience and to relax just a little," he repeated pleadingly. "If you would like, you can tell me more about your encounter with Lorne, but if not, I'll understand." He was glad to see that she had finally stopped crying.
"Angel, you keep telling me to relax, but how can I? How can I even think about relaxing when I know he's out there and will always be there, just waiting for a chance to kill more because of me!"
"I know it's easily said, Crys, but very hard to do. I'm asking you to trust me to do everything I can to help you. I promise I won't let you down and we will find a way to defeat him. You can come and talk to me any time you get depressed or upset. I know I'm not the best-looking thing to talk to, but I promise not to make a move on you or do anything to upset you and what you tell me will not go any further. I just want to be your friend."
She nodded, taking in everything that he told her. She knew that he meant well, but she still believed that he would never be able to keep his promise. Her gaze had fallen from his face to the deck beneath their feet, and her mind was still whirling with a myriad of thoughts when Blue cooed at her from Angel's shoulder. She looked up at him, and he cooed again. She cocked her head to one side, listening to him finally, before nodding. "You're right, although you still shouldn't have done it," she told the little dragon, unable to keep the scolding from her tone.
Looking back at Angel, she spoke again. "We've already told you, so he'll want you regardless of what happens. You need to know what already has happened, though, Angel. I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell any of the others, but you need and deserve to know."
"You'll get a chance tonight after dinner to tell your tale, Crys. We always have a little song after we've eaten a really good meal. We haven't done that in a while. I know Autolycus and Joxer mean well, but they can't cook. It's a time that we all share what is on our minds, anything that's bothering us. It's a time of darkness where you don't feel like eyes are staring holes in you. I miss it; I like it. I'll stand by you tonight, and you can tell the others."
"I don't know if I can," she admitted, "or even if I should. They're already in danger by my being here, but if they actually know the full details . . . " She shook her head, tears misting over her eyes. "You saw what he can do. He'd do the same to them."
He lifted her chin. "Stop that crying now, Crys. It accomplishes nothing but only gives you a headache." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "If you don't feel like talking to them, you don't have to. Jack will never ask questions. He just knows you're in trouble and that's enough for him. He will stand by you till the end as I will do. Think about it, and you can tell me later if you want to talk and tell them the story."
She nodded but did not know how to respond to the latter part of what he had told her. "I don't usually cry so much," she told him instead, "but I've kept it in so long and it just seems determined to come out today."
"It's one of those times," he said. "We all feel it and have been in your shoes. Our stories were different, but we've all been in trouble. That's why we don't judge each other but we do the very best we can to help each other, all of us. We're family, and now you're part of our family. All I ask is that you don't put yourself away from us and allow us to be part of your family."
She was silent for a moment before daring to admit, "I would love to be able to do that, Angel, but I'm scared. No," she corrected herself, "I'm terrified that he might still find out! He's killed so many because of me! Port Royal was only the latest town he's done in. There was another, and he killed Blue's mother, my best friend when I was a child, Elvira's and Cindy's entire families . . . " Her voice trailed off.
"Well, consider me to be your big brother," Angel gently told her. "Let me worry about him just for tonight. Do your best to enjoy being free for a little while. I promise I'll be there for you."
She nodded. She wanted desperately to be able to let them all in, but she could not bare the thought that doing so might get them killed. It was then that Blue cooed again, telling Angel for the second time that day something that she had no intention of his knowing. He had let the Halliwells think that she had eaten the apple, but he had done so instead after she'd refused and given it to him. He did not let Angel think that she had eaten, however, and told him just what had happened even as Crys' eyes snapped to him. "Blue!"
"Crys, I want you to eat. I'm taking you to the galley now. I smell food cooking, and I want you to eat something for me. Please?"
She hesitated. She was hungry, and she could not remember the last time she'd been lucky enough to eat anything besides the snow she created. She had occasionally managed to sneak some extra food for her babies but had never bothered to do so for herself. Her stomach rumbled in protest, reminding her that it had been more than a day since she'd even eaten snow. "All right," she relented. "I was just . . . I was too frustrated earlier, and don't you dare tote me like a sack of potatoes again!" Her eyes cut a glare at him, but the corners of her mouth trembled as if they were fighting to keep from turning up into the beginnings of a smile.
"Don't threaten me, Crys. I kind of liked doing that." He grinned down at her. "But if you don't want to eat, I am going to feed you." He reached out, pulled her to him, and hugged her. "You need a lot of that, little sister, and I know just the guy to give it to you if you'd only let him: Lorne."
She sighed. "He is incredible," she breathed in admission before she could stop herself. "I never thought green could look so fantastic on any one before." Though she was managing to talk, her heart had almost stopped and then escalated in sheer joy when he'd hugged her. She had not been hugged by another two-legger in months, not since the last time Jack had dropped in for a visit. She hugged him tightly in return, ignoring her mind's warning that she shouldn't be doing such.
Releasing her, Angel reached in a pocket and lifted a cookie out to Blue. "I don't have treats for you girls," he said apologetically, "but I'll get some. Now let's take your mommy to the galley and find out what great foods Miss Halliwell's cooking." He held to Crys' hand, refusing to release her, even as Blue, still perched on Angel's shoulder, nibbled eagerly on the cookie.
Elvira started to pad off after Angel and Crystal, but Cindy paused, a soft growl ushering forth from her lips. She turned to look in the direction of the eyes she'd sensed but that the others, in their concern for Crys, had missed. She was not surprised to find a blonde and a brunette staring after Angel and Crys. She growled at them, and the two quickly gasped and flung themselves back into the shadows. Shaking her head at the ignorance of humans, the lioness turned and padded off after the rest of her suddenly-growing family, her tail twitching.
Continuing on their way to the galley, Angel walked proudly beside Crys. He relished the feeling that he had at least accomplished some small part in helping her to feel better. Delicious smells were coming from the galley, and he wished that he liked regular food and could live on something besides blood. Blood got old after a while, but he couldn't keep regular food down.
They had just about reached the door when he saw Carl running, hopping up and down, and hollering. He wondered what had the little guy so upset, and then he heard him. "THERE YOU ARE," Carl yelled, pointing at the group that surrounded Angel, "YOU LITTLE, GNOME-EATING DRAGON! JACK TOLD ME THE TRUTH! YOU AREN'T GOING TO EAT ME," he leered at Blue before adding in a false threat, "BUT I MIGHT JUST EAT YOU!"
The Gnome's threat brought first a sharp gasp and then a furious glare from Crys, a worried coo from Blue, and growls from Cindy and Elvira who flanked them. Angel looked down at Carl. "Carl, what is your problem? Calm down and quit making threats! You're not going to eat anybody! You're quite a little guy to be making so much noise!"
"I might be little," Carl retorted angrily, "but I can still take on that dragon!"
"Nobody's taking on the dragon," Angel told him. "Why are you after him any way?"
"That woman told me he'd eat me! She said they hadn't eaten in so long and tried to get Joxer and me to go over there so that they could eat us! It's not happening! I'll eat him first!" It was at just that time that a huge roar sounded from right behind Carl's rear. Carl screamed and automatically jumped right up onto Angel. Cindy's teeth closed on the air where he had just been.
"Cindy!" Angel reproved her. "Leave Carl alone!" He had barely managed to catch Carl. "Carl, calm down. We'll get to the bottom of this and reach a happy solution for everybody. Crys said some things while she was in the cage, because she wanted out so badly. None of her babies are going to eat you. Think about it. If that had been you in there and you had had some friends who might could have gotten you out, wouldn't you have made some threats too?"
"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't have said they'd eat them!"
"He won't eat you, Carl, isn't it?" Crys spoke up. The Gnome's head trembled even as he nodded. "I'm sorry I told you he would," she continued. Honesty shone in her ice blue eyes as she looked apologetically at him. "It was a complete and utter lie, but Angel's right. I just wanted out and needed to distract you for a moment."
"But you knocked me out without ever touching me!"
She nodded. "Yes, I did, but again, it was because I had to in order to escape. I never wanted to hurt you; that's why I did what I did."
"Angel, she never touched me, but she froze me!" Carl complained.
Crys shook her head. "I didn't freeze you. Had I frozen you, you wouldn't be here now unless your ice had not yet melted. What I did was to simply lower your body temperature enough to render you unconscious."
"That too!" Carl exclaimed, clinging to Angel like a monkey.
"Carl, I want you to make friends with Crys and her babies. Stop trying to pick a fight, and put our your hand in friendship. This is Blue," Angel spoke to his other shoulder and Carl's eyes shot as big as saucers.
"I-I-I-It-It-It's right there! It's gonna eat me!"
"Coo," Blue said as a matter-of-fact statement.
"Not always, Blue," Angel told him. Blue had made mention that Carl seemed to be a mighty small powerhouse looking for trouble where there wasn't any. "Carl is usually nice, friendly, and very helpful, and Blue is the same, Carl, so you should be able to get along with him very well."
Blue cooed again and held out part of his cookie to Carl.
Carl continued to tremble as he looked at the dragon's out-stretched claw offering him a bit of cookie. He shook even more. "He's trying to poison me!"
"COO!" Blue threw the cookie at him, and Carl, despite himself, caught it.
"It's not poison, Carl. I gave it to him as a treat."
"You did?" Carl asked. "You're sure it's the same one?"
"Yes, Carl, it's the same one. Now make friends."
As soon as Angel affirmed that it was indeed the same cookie, Carl popped it without any further hesitation into his mouth. Even as he chewed, he continued to gaze fearfully at Blue. Was it true? Did dragons not eat Gnomes? He'd always heard otherwise, but then again, he was being held by a friendly Vampire who didn't eat humans. Who'd ever heard of that?
"Some dragons do eat Gnomes, but only the big dragons and the meat eaters. Blue is not a meat eater. He much prefers fruits."
Carl continued looking apprehensively at Blue, but when the dragon again tentatively stretched out his hand toward the Gnome, he took it. Blue squeezed his trembling hand but was careful not to hurt him or let his claws do so much as brush against his skin. Carl finally began to relax. Looking down at Crys, he told her, "You still didn't have to say he'd eat me!"
She nodded. "You're right, Carl," she admitted, "and as I said, I'm sorry I did. I thought I didn't really have a choice, though, and was trying to escape to keep the others and you safe."
His eyes widened at that. "Safe? From what?"
Angel dropped Carl gently back down to the deck. "Carl, there are things that are evil out there. You know that. You've seen some of them. That thing you saw in the sky today, he is totally evil and he wants Crys."
"That thing wants her!" Carl repeated in disbelief, looking up at Angel and Crys. The woman seemed so beautiful, and he knew now that she really wasn't the evil bitch he'd thought at first.
"Yes," Crys told him softly. "That's why I did what I did. That's why I was so bent -- "
Her words broke off as Carl interrupted her. "Well, missy, you can just tell him to put his dukes up!" He swung at the air even as he hopped up and down, acting as though he were trying to fight an invisible opponent. "I'll take him!"
Crys couldn't help herself. Angel's hug had lifted her spirits already, and the sight of the small Gnome attempting to fight was just too hilarious. Her lips parted, and her voice broke into a tinkling of laughter.
Angel smiled at Crys' laughter. He didn't imagine she'd done much of that in her life, and he hoped that he'd hear more of it in the future. "Would you like to carry Blue for a while, Carl? We're on the way to the galley." He refused to give him credit for the fight, because he knew he'd have to bail him out if he got into one.
Carl stilled himself, grinning from ear to ear as he had succeeded in making the woman laugh, but looked with a mixture of hope and doubt up at Angel and Blue. "Do you think I could?" he asked hesitantly.
"Blue?" Angel questioned."Coo," the dragon answered with a grin as he took to the air and sailed down to Carl's shoulder. Carl's anxious face split into a huge smile as the dragon perched on top of his shoulder.
"He especially likes his head to be scratched," Crys advised quietly, seeing the Gnome's eyes light up as Blue settled in to his new perch.
Carl hesitantly reached up and scratched Blue's head. His grin grew even larger at the gentle rumbling he was rewarded with in turn.
