Chapter Twenty-nine
Will had frozen when Jack's lips had left his. Only his eyes had dared to move, shooting wide in panic. He had thought that Jack was asleep. Had he been wrong? He stared at him, not even daring to breathe, until Jack moved to nuzzle his neck. A low moan broke from Will's shaking lips, and he jumped suddenly as Jack's tongue flicked out and licked his neck.
As wonderful as the feelings that Jack's touches were sending sweeping through every inch of him, Will knew that he could not allow him to continue. Jack did not know what he was doing and would be horrified if he did. "Jack," he cried out, saying the only thing he could think of and trying to make his tone into an anguished protest, "I'm not a woman!"
"I know," came the whispered reply. "I wouldn't want you if you were. You protest too much." He moved slightly, bringing himself more into contact with Will. "Don't you want to be in my bed? You belong here, you know."
Oh, I know! Will thought but had to force himself to carry on the charade, believing that Jack did not have any idea what he was saying, let alone what he was doing. "Jack, you don't want me in your bed! I'm not a woman!" he repeated. "I'm a man!"
Jack rolled over onto his back, pulling Will with him and holding him safely within the circle of his arms. Will could not help himself. He had frozen as still as a statue when Jack had rolled with him, but when he felt Jack's massive sword attempting to be cradled by his groin, he screeched. "Jack! Jack! You've got to wake up!" Even as he exclaimed, however, he wondered frantically how in the world he would ever explain this predicament.
Jack snored gently in Will's ear even as his tongue reached out and licked Will's lobe. "Oh Gods!" Will moaned. He was already having to fight to keep his mind in control of every betraying inch of his body, and Jack certainly was not helping matters. Indeed, he was doing everything to hinder them yet had no clue as to what was happening. He had to stop him. He had to protect Jack from both himself and from his own self. "Jack! Jack, you have to let me go!"
Another snore came in response, and he sighed. He had to wake him up, and the only way left that might stand a chance of working was to shock him into awakening. He'd meant to tell him, but he certainly couldn't tell him like this. He could, however, give him a fragment of the truth. "Jack . . . Jack, you have to wake up. There's . . . There's something you don't know about me, and if you did, you . . . you certainly wouldn't want me anywhere near you right now! Jack -- " His voice broke off, and he had to force himself to finish. "Jack, I'm gay!"
"Oh. I'm so happy for you," came Jack's mumbled reply even as he fought to hold on to the squirming boy he held in his arms. "What can I do about it? You want to have a party?"
"JACK!" Will bellowed, but nothing seemed able to wake him. His mind whirled. "Jack, you don't understand! I'm gay! Don't you know what that means!" A snore was his only answer.
Crystal had not been surprised by a single Pirate who had came up, not even the orange catman who now stood before her, his tail twitching in the air. "Thank you, miss. My ladies will love these!" he exclaimed with a grin.
"Your ladies?" she repeated with a raised brow.
"Not the way you're thinking," Tom was quick to explain. "They're Katrina and Celina. Katrina's my beautiful wife who I'm honored to have, and Celina is her sister. There's Morph, her husband, too, so could you make that four?"
She smiled at the realization that there was apparently a Werecat family aboard, as well, but failed to realize that they were the Sorceresses that Angel had told her about. "Of course," she told Tom and set about making the fourth drink. "I look forward to meeting them, and I'm sure Cindy can hardly wait, as well."
"Cindy?" Tom asked.
She gestured with her head to a lioness who sat on the floor beside her, looking up at him with questions in her eyes. "She's a beaut," Tom said with a smile at both, "but nothing compared to my Katrina."
Crys returned his smile. "Well, as I said, I can not wait to meet them. It will be an honor. Here you go," she added, handing him the last drink.
Tom's grin had only continued to grow as he had been talking to the blonde. "Thank you. It'll be the perfect thing to wake them up to." He headed off, carrying the tray, with a proud saunter in his step.
As Tom walked off, Crystal found herself looking into one of the saddest, longest faces she'd ever seen. It was the donkey who'd tried unsuccessfully to steal the bourbon, and her heart felt for him instantly as she knew that he could not possibly be so upset over something as meager as alcohol. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
He sniffled. "I want my Will!"
"Your will?"
He nodded. "I want my Will," he repeated, "and he left without me!"
Crys was not quite sure what to make of what he was telling her, but at last she figured out that Will must be one of the Pirates. "Where'd he go?"
"Back to the Pearl. You know, I saw you with that bridge today. Could you . . . ?" He was looking hopefully up at her, but Crys broke him off before he could finish his question.
"I'd be glad to . . . " She paused, then asked, "Do you have a name?"
"Yup. Sure do." He nodded eagerly, then grinned at her. "Name's Donkey."
"That's not your name," she corrected him gently. "That's what you are."
"It's my name too!"
Crys shook her head, deciding not to make any further mention of it to him. She might bring the matter up with this Will later, however.
Xena kept a firm grip on Autolycus, making sure that his pants were cutting him. She was at a loss as to what to do to stop him as she really didn't want to hurt him, but he had to quit. Finally, when they reached a secluded spot, she threw him so that his butt landed roughly on the deck. Using her sword, she pushed him until he lay on his back.
Autolycus was scared. He realized he had finally pushed Xena over the edge. What would she do to him? He only hoped she'd keep Gabrielle away from him, because out of the two, he feared Gabrielle even more. He had messed with her more in the past, and she had actually cut his sword. It had taken weeks to heal, and he still had a small scar on it. He had tried to approach the Lewises with his problem but had only succeeded in getting beaten by both of their husbands. He figured Gabrielle had never told Xena or Xena would have probably came and cut his manhood completely off. He did not make eye connection with either woman but lay with the tip of Xena's sword at his throat, trying desperately not to let his fear show.
"You never learn, do you?" Gabrielle's green eyes slanted angrily down at him from where she stood next to Xena. "It's not enough that you have to mess with us, even when we teach you not to, but you have to bother every woman aboard, even the children!"
Xena's eyes flashed up at Gabrielle. "What do you know that I don't know, Gabby, and why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it wasn't really important," she answered. "I handled it, so there wasn't anything left to be taken care of."
"Who was it he bothered that you took care of?" Xena would not give up on the matter. If she found out that Autolycus had laid a hand on Gabrielle, there would be Hell to pay!
Gabrielle thought back. "I think it was about six months ago when we were in bed and you had to go take care of some kind of trouble." She shook her head. "We'd been busy all day, so I didn't really think about it too much until I woke up later and found somebody else's hands around me."
"You got in bed with Gabrielle!" Xena ground out, her booted foot striking Autolycus in the chest. She ground her heel down on him.
"Huh . . . " He stumbled over the word. "Yes? I almost got away with it, too. She thought I was you."
Xena looked back at Gabrielle. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "He'd have been off the ship by now if he was even alive!"
"That's precisely why I didn't tell you. I knew he wasn't you as soon as I woke up. I just let him think I thought he was until I was able to grab one of my sais without him seeing me. I rolled over and stabbed him. He's probably still got the scar." She paused, her eyes moving back to Xena's before speaking again, her tone softer. "Xena, that was six months ago. It doesn't matter now. We need to deal with the present, not the past."
Xena was so angry that Autolycus would later swear that actual steam rose off of her. "No punishment is good enough for you, Autolycus. I can't kill you although, at the present, I would love to. When we get to Tortuga, you're leaving. You can't keep your hands off of women. You're a constant danger to every female aboard, but I can't kill you," she repeated, as much a reminder to herself as anything else. "We've been around each other for far too long and you're a member of my crew. Don't think I have a soft spot in my heart for you; I don't."
"Until we reach Tortuga, you will not speak to any women. If I hear you or find out about it, I will cut your tongue out. You do not have a job any longer, so I'm going to give you one. You will spend from morning to night, on your knees, cleaning the deck with the smallest brush that I can find. I'll think of something else stronger in the meantime to do to you, but right now that's your punishment. You are not to lift your head to talk or even so much as look at any female aboard the ship. What did you do with those women you brought aboard? I haven't seen them since you brought them on."
"I hid them." He would not look at her eyes for he knew and dreaded the hatred and fury he'd see there.
"What do you mean you hid them?"
"They're safe. They're my treasures."
"Speaking of which," Xena questioned, "what happened to all the booty we got today? It disappeared as soon as we got back aboard, too! Two of those gold sacks belong to Captain Jack; you'll return those immediately. I want the rest in front of me within fifteen minutes. Don't make me come looking for you." Xena then looked back at Gabrielle. "You want to add anything to this?"
"No," the blonde started to respond with a shake of her head, "although, you know, as much as I hate the thought of such, if this doesn't straighten him out, he may need a whipping." She knew that that would scare Autolycus even more.
"He's getting that any way. He's not gone yet." She moved back to allow him to rise. "Take your shirt off, Autolycus. If you don't, I'm going to cut it off of you." She reached to her side for her whip and struck him three lashes. Only she and Gabrielle knew that she tried not to cut his skin too badly, because she wanted to scare him, not kill him. "Now get," she commanded. "Do what I told you to do, and bring those women with you." Without a backward glance, he ran.
Lorne watched Crys in concern. She still had not eaten anything, and neither had he. He was waiting on her. He didn't know where Angel had gotten off to, but the field was wide open. "Crys, I'm holding you an appetizer. I know you're busy, but you need to eat." He walked over, carrying the treat in his hand. He tore off a piece and held it out to her.
She looked at Lorne in surprise. Did he expect her to eat from his fingers?
Donkey had fallen silent for the most gorgeous being he had ever seen had suddenly appeared, floating in the room above their heads. He looked around and realized that Crys' three animals also saw the being but that none of the two-leggers could see Her. He looked back up at Her. She pressed one finger to Her lips even as She tossed a little more pink dust at the two that stood directly beneath Her.
A slow smile spread over Crys' face as she again forgot the danger that she had placed Lorne in. She stepped closer to him, her hand reaching up to cup his wrist. She did not move her fingers to take the food from him, however, but leaned forward, never realizing the view that the squared dip in her dress afforded him. She gently lowered her mouth around the bite and just the beginnings of his fingers. Her tongue licked his fingertips.
Fire shot through Lorne. First, he had been able to see the luscious peaks of her bosom and the sight of them had boiled his blood. Her tongue shot him over the edge, however. He wanted her so badly that he could taste it, and he trembled at her touch. He'd kill Angel if he'd put his hand on her! As much as he cared about Angel, he'd simply kill him! He reached, got another piece of the food, and offered it to Crys.
He had not pulled away from her but seemed pleased by her touch. Still, she did not remember the danger she was placing him in, and her mouth once more gently took the food from his fingers. This time, she nibbled him as well as her food but was careful to keep her touch extremely gentle.
Seeing them in such a position was too much for Donkey! "Hey! Did you forget about me?" he called. "You two can make out with the love later! Will might be in trouble! I need to be with him! Pleeease!" he pleaded.
She sighed even as her lips drew slowly off of Lorne's green fingers. He watched her as she walked toward the door, missing her touch already. Hey, wait a minute, boy! She's all over your green skin! Don't know what happened earlier, but she wants you!
It seemed that he had a little Devil on one shoulder and a little Angel on the other. You better make a move on her, buddy! the Devil warned. You know Angel's looking at her!
Now you know Angel's not looking at her in that way, the Angel argued.
Lorne thought he was imagining things, but he could hear both of them as plain as day. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he called, "Crys, I'm coming." He trotted along behind her to the door, not wanting her out of his sight.
"I'm not going far," Crys assured him but was glad that he was coming with her nonetheless. Even the short time she had already been away from him had made her body ache. She stood just inside the doorway and rose her hands. Ice shot from them, swiftly forming a bridge from one ship to the other. "There you go," she told Donkey without another thought.
"Thank ya! Thank ya! Thank ya!" Donkey called back excitedly to her as he began to run over the icy bridge. He could hardly wait to get to Will's side. He just knew Will needed him! When he was half-way across the bridge, Donkey's hooves shot out from underneath him, causing him to skid uncontrollably the rest of the way. "HELP!" he screamed out.
Wolverine, who was working really hard with a stubborn cot that refused to cooperate, heard the frantic donkey hollering and raced to his side. He helped him get to his hooves. "Are you okay, Donkey?"
"I am now! Thanks! That woman wanted to help, but she just couldn't pull herself away from the Demon long enough! Who would've ever thought any beautiful blonde would be licking green!" He shook his head in disgust.
Wolverine thought. The Demon had to be Lorne. There was more than one gorgeous blonde on the ship but only one who could make ice. "You mean Crys an' Lorne?" he asked Donkey.
"Yeah, man, you wouldn't believe it! And you know what else?" Donkey babbled. "There was the most beautiful woman in there that I've ever seen, but I don't think She was just a woman! She was surrounded with this pink light that was just oozing love everywhere, and She threw this pink dust at them! That's when they went all over each other!"
Wolverine looked down at him. "Donkey, you're either on something or you're crazy. There ain't no women runnin' around here in pink. An' what kind o' dust? Pink? Geez!" He shook his head in vivid disbelief. "You get into any more trouble, holler."
Donkey looked at him, his mouth open, but he shook his head and shut his mouth, knowing it would do him no good to try to explain the being he and the other animals had seen. His thoughts returned to Will instead, and he began to jump up and down. "Gotta find Will! Gotta find Will! Gotta find Will!"
"He's in Jack's cabin."
Donkey gasped, his eyes shooting wide. "He's not!"
"What's wrong with that?" Wolverine queried.
"Well, if you don't know, I'm certainly not going to be the braying donkey who tells you!" he exclaimed, shaking his mane.
"I've been hearing sounds come out of there for a while, but since neither one of them called for help, I didn't bother them. Clark put a brand new door up today. That boy's the fastest thing I've ever seen; he had it up there in ten seconds." Donkey was staring at him as if he had two heads. "What?"
"They're in there together," he questioned, his eyes growing wider with each word, "and sounds are coming out!"
"Calm down, Donkey. I'll open the door for you," Wolverine told him.
As Crys turned back toward Lorne, she was confronted with a growl from Cindy. "Why, yes, Cindy, I do know what I'm doing," she assured the lioness with a smile.
Elvira yipped urgently at that, and her gaze moved to the wolf. "I know, but what you two have to stop and think about is that Blue already endangered Angel and I already endangered Lorne. What's done is done, so why shouldn't we enjoy each other to the fullest?" she asked carelessly, her ice blue eyes sparkling with an emotion that neither animal had ever witnessed before.
Blue flew into her face, roaring loudly in protest. "Blue, really, you're the one who started it," she reached up and gently scratched his cheek, "and thank you for that, sweetheart."
Cindy and Elvira growled a second time, and Blue took off, swerving around Crystal and flying off for Angel as fast as his wings could carry him. She watched him go, shrugged, and turned back to Lorne with a smile. "So where were we?"
Lorne was so lost in Crys that he had not taken notice of anything her babies had said. For some strange reason, she wanted him, and he was ever so thankful! "I think I was feeding you?" his words tumbled out over themselves.
Her long legs quickly closed what little distance remained between them. She raised a hand and caressed his chest through his shirt. "So what are you waiting for, handsome?" she purred to him as her inviting body leaned closer against his. She took his lips with her own before he could react with even so much as one word.
Wolverine was about to open the door to Jack's cabin when he heard Will again. The boy's desperately pleading voice shocked him as he cried out, "Oh Gods, help! Get me out of here!"
"Will?" Wolverine called as he walked inside the cabin door.
Donkey trotted after Wolverine, but his confused gaze found an empty cabin. "Thank Gods!" Will's voice answered from underneath the bed. "Get me out of here!"
"What are you doing under there?" Wolverine asked, confusion in his voice. Jack did not seem to be in the cabin yet Will was trapped under the bed?
"Jack has me!"
"And you want to get out of that?" Donkey put in disbelievingly.
"Hell yes!" Will cried in exasperation.
Wolverine ducked down and looked under the bed. "I see what you mean, son. I don't know how we're going to get you out from under that. He's gotta let go."
Donkey stuck his head under the bed from the other side. "Oh, that's not a problem," he said with a grin.
"Yes, it's a problem, Donkey!" Will told him. "I can't -- I can't you-know!"
"Why not?" Donkey asked.
"I'll tell you later! Just get me out of here now!" Will commanded through gritted teeth.
Donkey shook his head. "Gee. You finally get what you've been wanting for so long, and now you suddenly don't want it? And I thought women were fickle!"
"DONKEY!"
"Calm down a minute, but be ready to roll." Donkey stuck his mouth next to Jack's ear. With a grin, he told Wolverine and Will, "Watch this; this'll get him going." He smacked his lips right beside Jack's ear.
The sound penetrated Jack's brain, releasing him from his deep sleep. His arms waved outward, trying unsuccessfully to slap Donkey. "DAMN IT, DONKEY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT!" he bellowed through gritted teeth even as Will rolled and ran.
Prue slipped into the galley and made her way over to stand by Piper, who was staring at something. Her eyes followed her sister's, and her mouth fell open in shock. There were two people about to do it on the table! Why was Piper just standing there, looking at them? Prue didn't say anything but turned and fled back out the door.
She'd have to talk to Piper later. She did not want to see anybody doing the act. She hoped Piper would come to her senses and join her outside, but she had seemed to be mesmerized by the pair. She knew Piper was a virgin and wondered if she should return and get her but didn't have the courage to go in there a second time.
Wolverine looked at Donkey, then at the door where Will had ran through as though the very Devil was behind him, and finally back at Jack. "Well, ya done it now. Ya had him right where you wanted him, an' he got away from ya." He shook his head.
Jack tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Huh?" Nothing was making any sense to him. "I had what, and why are both of you looking at me so weird?"
"You wanna tell him," Donkey asked, looking over at Wolverine, "or do you want me to tell him?"
"You tell him, Donkey. He made an ass of himself."
"Ya screwed up, boy!" Donkey exclaimed, looking down at Jack. "You could have had him, and you let him go!"
"What? Who?" Jack queried, refusing to believe what he was afraid they were telling him.
"Will!" Wolverine and Donkey answered simultaneously.
"Uh-uh!" Jack denied, shaking his head. "I had him in my sleep, but you woke me up."
"You had him in real life, but you were asleep," Donkey corrected him. "He was absolutely paranoid! He wanted you, but he couldn't take advantage of you!" He had actually understood Will's dilemma a great deal more than he had admitted to the boy.
Jack rolled out from under the bed and sat up with the dumbest look he had ever had on his face. "It wasn't a dream? I had Will? And he freaked out. It figures," he said in a very sad voice. "Now he'll hate me for sure."
"He doesn't hate you," Donkey tried to explain. "He wanted you," he glanced downwards at Jack's aroused member, "as much as you wanted him. He had one just as big, if not bigger."
Jack blushed slightly but did not look downward. He knew he was naked. In fact, it usually did not bother him. "Well, where is he now?"
"My guess?" Donkey asked. "Straight for the water."
"Mine too," Wolverine agreed. "In fact, I think I heard a splash."
"What should I do?" Jack questioned, looking at both of them.
"I can tell you something," Donkey told him, looking him straight in the eyes, "but if you ever let him know that I told you, I'll kick you straight in it every time I get around you, savvy?"
"Yes. I won't tell him," Jack promised. "What is it?"
"The boy likes men. Specifically, he's in love -- with you."
"I know he likes men and that he's in love with some one on the ship, but it's not me. When I find the bastard, he's going to walk the plank."
"How are you going to make yourself walk the plank?" Donkey and Wolverine asked in unison.
"IT'S NOT ME!" Jack insisted. "Gods know I wish it was! If only it was!" he added wistfully. "But now I've embarrassed him by putting my unworthy attentions toward him."
"You don't listen worth a horse's butt," Donkey told him. "The boy had a hard one just as badly as you do. He wasn't embarrassed by you but by us having to get him out of there." He cocked his head as he sat down, still looking directly at Jack. "Think about it. Put yourself in his hooves for a minute. He's the one naked; you're the one trying to wake him up. He gets you in his arms and traps you underneath his body. What would you want to do?"
"That's beside the point. I would never take advantage of him," Jack said.
"Exactly, son," Wolverine put in. "He didn't want to take advantage of you. How do ya think he'd feel if you didn't feel for him an' you woke up an' found him in your bed?"
"But I do feel for him!" Jack protested. "I want him! I love him!"
"We know that," Wolverine answered, "but he doesn't know that. Go to him, an' make your intentions known. Let him tell you to go to Hell if he wants to."
"Which he doesn't," Donkey put in. "I've seen him cry before -- all because he wanted you and thought he could never have you."
Without a second glance backward, Jack got up and streaked for the water. He didn't care who saw him naked. He dove over the side of the ship and almost landed on Will.
Angel had split from Brendan as they had gone off in separate directions in search of Wolf. He thought that Brendan and Wolf were long past due a talk with each other and that Wolf must surely be done in the crow's nest by now. He was startled when Blue flew straight into his face, cooing madly. "Slow down, Blue, and tell me again what you are saying. You're talking so fast that I can't understand you!"
Blue tried to slow down, but he was so scared by Crystal's behavior that his words again raced out of his mouth. Angel was barely able to catch them this time, and his eyes shot wide. "Crys and Lorne are doing what!" he roared, his voice rising an octave. He almost flew to the galley. He did not bother knocking at the door but barged on in.
There were not many people left in there, but Piper was still busy with something at the oven, her back purposefully turned toward Lorne and Crys who were very busy with each other. Crys was perched on the table before Lorne. The skirts of her grieving gown were hiked up, and most of her long legs were exposed. Her legs dangled to either side of Lorne, and her bare feet rubbed him through his pants. Barely a breath of space still managed to separate them as she licked tidbits of food from Lorne's fingers.
Angel did a double-take, blinking his eyes and making sure that what he was seeing was real. "Lorne!" he called out but Lorne paid no heed to him. "Crys?" It was as though they were locked inside each other, neither paying attention to any one around them.
Elvira and Cindy had both came to instant attention the moment Angel had flown into the galley, but only Elvira thought to tell him of the being they had seen earlier. She yipped urgently to Angel, filling him in on the woman in pink lace who had thrown pink dust at both Lorne and their beloved Crys.
"Cindy, go into the hold and bring me the catwomen who are there." Cindy hesitated. She had never taken orders from a male before; in fact, she had little use for the detestable creatures. She glanced at Lorne and Crys one more time as her mistress sighed in pleasure, wrapping her feet around Lorne's legs and bringing him even closer. "Hurry, Cindy!" Angel urged her, and the lioness took off, racing through the galley so swiftly that she nearly knocked him down.
"Is this . . . normal?" Piper spoke up quietly from where she was trying her best to finish the final apple pie and ignore the two making out at the table.
"No, it's not," Angel replied in a quiet voice. "It's some kind of a spell. That's why I sent Cindy for the Sorceresses. They'll know what to do. Meanwhile, I've got to break this up."
He walked up to the entwining couple, reached out, and grasped Lorne's arm. "Lorne, step away from the woman. This is not like you. Something's going on. Until we get to the bottom of it, you need to move away from Crys."
Lorne angrily shook Angel's arm off of him. "You can't have her, Angel; she's mine! You can have every other woman on this ship, but you're not having her!"
Angel looked at him in confusion. "I don't want her, but I do want you to step away from her. Until we know what's going on, you two can't be touching each other. This is not like either of you."
"Angel," Crys spoke up, turning to look at him with dazed eyes, "I know why you're doing this, but it's not necessary. I already endangered him. Everybody here is already in danger by both of our presences, so what does it matter?" she asked with a shrug, her long legs swinging.
He knew Crys would never say that if she were in her right mind. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that it was more than he could handle by himself. He hoped it would not take the Sorceresses long to get there. "Lorne, didn't you hear what Crys said?"
"Isn't she beautiful?" Lorne sighed. He then glared at Angel as he added angrily, "And you can't have her!"
"I don't want her!" Angel repeated. "Come over here; I want to talk to you."
"No, I'm not leaving her," Lorne protested. "If I move, somebody else will move in on her!"
"Nobody is coming in here but us," Angel told him, "and I will drag you away from there if I have to." He moved back over to Lorne, prepared to attack him if he had to to drag him out of there, but Lorne seemed to be drugged.
"Miss Piper, did you put anything in the food, like an aphrodisiac?"
"I only put bourbon in the chicken," Piper answered, having turned to finally face the situation, "but that's not even done yet!"
"There's magic at work here," Angel announced, "but I don't know if it's good or bad. I'm not really familiar with magic." It was then that he heard the Sorceresses come in.
Katrina asked, "Did you call for me, Angel? It was the strangest thing. I was napping, and I woke up to an unfamiliar cat looking in my face and talking about a lady in pink with dust. We must have a Fairy."
"I don't know what's going on," Angel told her. "I just know we have to stop it. We've got two about to rut!" He hated to say the word, but he couldn't think of a cleaner word to use in front of the ladies. "I was just about to move Lorne off of her, but do you think you can do something with Crys?""I'll do my best," Katrina responded. "The first thing we have to do is separate them and then get some cold water and douse both of them."
Without a word, Piper, having heard Katrina, put down the spoon she was holding, walked across the room, picked up the pan of water they had all been using to wash their hands, and threw it at Lorne and Crystal.
Lorne shook himself, surprised to find that he was between Crys' legs and almost into her. "HOLY SHIT!" he exclaimed and backed up immediately. "OH MY GODS! A THOUSAND PARDONS! I -- I would never have done this in public! What's wrong with me!"
Crystal stared at Lorne in shock. "Oh. Gods! I didn't!" Her panicked eyes flew from one face to another, and she realized that she had come very close indeed to practically getting Lorne killed. Her face was red with embarrassment as she jumped down from the table and turned to flee.
Lorne sat down with his face in his hands, too ashamed to look at anybody.
Angel caught Crys before she could run. "Sit down, Crys. Something's going on, but I don't know what it is. I've got to figure out what's happening. I don't want to have to bother Jack with it; he's got too much on his plate already."
"Angel, I've got to get out of here! None of us knows what's happening, but my Gods, if it happens again, especially if that happens, it'll be his death! I'm not going to try to leave the ship, but I can not stay in this room!"
"You need to stay here, Crys, long enough so that we can figure out what's going on but not anywhere near Lorne. Please sit over here by the Lewises, and let them check you over."
Katrina smiled at her. "There's magic afoot. I can feel it, but I don't think it's bad magic. I am not familiar with any deities or beings that dress in pink and put out pink dust."
Lorne was listening to the conversation but not responding. He still could not believe that, even as badly as he wanted Crys, he had almost taken her on the table. After all, he was a virgin and really wasn't sure what he was doing, but he did know that he wanted it to be in private when he did it and that he would have loved for it to have been with Crys.
Celina's blue eyes were focused on Crystal. She could feel her fear as clearly as if it were her own and heard the thundering of her heart. She knew that neither was merely because of the situation that had just taken place. For some reason, the woman truly feared getting Lorne killed and believed that she would do precisely that if she stayed with him. "We are not going to let any one be killed here," she told Crys, her voice firm but reassuring, as her blue eyes caught Crystal's and silently forced her gaze to stay with her own so that the frightened woman could see the truth of her words, "and we will watch you and not let you harm him."
"I already have -- " Crys started to say but was interrupted by Piper.
"Hold on," Piper suddenly put in. Looking at Katrina, she asked, "Did you say a deity wearing pink and throwing dust around?"
"That's what Cindy said when she woke me up. She described a beautiful, blonde female in flowing, pink clothes sprinkling pink dust made of hearts. It sounded strange, but I don't know any deities like that. We're not from Earth, and it's definitely not a deity from our world."
Piper sank into the chair next to Lorne, her mind throbbing even as it whirled. "You can definitely say the strange part again," she told the catwoman called Katrina. "Everything about today has been strange, but I think I have an idea of who your Goddess could be."
"Goddess?" Angel repeated doubtfully. "Why would a Goddess fool with us? We're Pirates!"
Piper nodded slowly, the slightest movement hurting her head. "Even Pirates need love. Same as Witches," she added quietly. Her eyes had turned to Lorne. She had began to find a friend in him already that day and was worried about him. She reached out and gently placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she concluded, "And everybody else." Looking back at Angel and the catwomen, she told them, "I think you should try Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love."
"How do we get her to appear to us?" Katrina asked.
"That I don't know," Piper told her with a tiny shake of her head, "but I'd be willing to bet that that's who it is. I don't have any real training, but Greek mythology was the closest that my Mother would ever let me get to reading the real books. Aphrodite was always flitting around, making people fall in love, and it tended to work about as fast as those two did."
"Gabrielle would know," Angel thought aloud. "I think she and Xena have been to Greece. Blue, go and bring Gabrielle." When Blue looked at him, clearly not understanding who he intended, he tried instead, "Go and bring Captain Xena here." At that, the dragon took off.
"Are you okay, Will?" Jack asked, finding himself in an awkward moment and not knowing what to say. "I'm . . . sorry about earlier."
"Earlier?" Will repeated innocently, not daring to turn to look at him.
"Yes. When I trapped you under the bed. I'm afraid I was acting out my dream." He still had not looked Will in the eye.
"Jack, there's . . . " Will had to fight to keep his voice even. "There's nothing to apologize about. You thought I was some one I wasn't; I understand."
Jack glanced at Will and noticed that Will had his back turned to him. He swam around until he was directly in front of him. He then looked Will straight in the eyes, saw his tears, and was ashamed of himself for putting them there. "I'm sorry, Will; I didn't mean to make you cry. I was asleep and dreaming . . . but you don't understand. I thought . . . you had came to my bed willingly," Jack admitted in a softer voice.
Will looked up at Jack in surprise. "But -- But you wouldn't want me in your bed."
"You'll never know how much I want you in my bed, Will. It pains me just to look at you and know that we can never be together. I thought, at first, that you loved Elizabeth and I was happy for you because you seemed to be happy. My feelings didn't matter to me. I only wanted you to be happy, but then Elizabeth told me that you broke up with her because of some one on the ship and . . . Will . . . It hurts, because I know as much as I wish it was me, it isn't. . . . I would kill him if I could get my hands on him, but I want you to be happy so I won't hurt him unless he hurts you." His voice trailed off. He didn't know what else to tell Will. He didn't know how to tell him what was in his heart. Somehow, Jack had always known he would never have a chance with Will even in the very beginning, and it hurt a lot to know that the guy he loved was on his ship.
Will had watched and listened to Jack in complete shock, but as Jack stopped speaking and Will realized that he had indeed heard what he thought he had, a slow smile began to grow over his face. He swam over to Jack, closing what little distance remained between them, and raised trembling fingers to touch his cheek. "Jack," he asked, his voice barely a breath for he was still having trouble getting past the shock that his dream was coming true. "Jack, how . . . How would you go against yourself?"
Jack lifted disbelieving eyes to look back in Will's eyes. "That's the same thing Wolverine asked me, but I didn't believe him. You can't be saying what I think you're saying. I've been waiting too long to hear that, Will. I don't think I'm awake yet."
"But I am," Will persisted sincerely, "and whether you're awake or not, whether you're real or some figment of my imagination, I'm done lying and hiding. I -- " he paused to gaze even deeper into Jack's eyes. "I love you, Jack Sparrow!"
Jack's heart gave a mighty leap as though it would shoot straight out of his chest. "Will?" he whispered. "I love you! I have loved you since the first minute I saw you, but I did not know it. I just felt a very strong attraction to you. I didn't know it when we fenced together. I don't think I realized it until you saved my life at the cost of your own. Then I denied it to myself. I have many treasures but none that I hold dearer than your friendship. I never dared dream I could actually hold your heart." He finally ceased talking and pulled Will to him, his lips seeking his.
There was so much that Will had to tell Jack, but it could all wait for now he only wanted to feel his beloved's lips on his own at long last. His mouth parted instantly under Jack's as he kissed him with all the passion he'd been saving for so long, that was meant for Jack alone, and that Elizabeth had never felt even the first inkling of.
Jack could hear music playing in his head as he deepened the kiss with Will. He didn't know if it was real or only in his heart, but that didn't matter. Will had been in love with him as much as he was with him, and they had both been afraid of losing each other. All Jack wanted to do now was to take Will back to his cabin and show him how much he loved him, but he was still afraid. He had not the first ideal how to go about it. Would Will know? he wondered. He listened and heard whispers coming from above. He reluctantly broke off the kiss. "Will, we are being observed," he whispered into Will's ear.
"Jack, I have loved you for so long! I started falling in love with you the first time we fenced; I just didn't completely realize it until later while we were out at sea together. I've had to keep it hidden for so long, but I'm through hiding! I love you with everything that I am, and I'll shout it for the whole world to hear if you'd let me!"
"So would I scream it from the highest mountain, but I want to be alone with you. I don't want the world crowding in. If only for a little while, I want it to just be us, alone in my cabin. That's Wolverine and Donkey up there; they seem to be congratulating each other, something about finally getting their boys together."
Before Will could answer, two ropes dropped down in front of them. They looked questioningly up only to find Wolverine and Donkey grinning down at them. "Well, get your butts up here then, boys," Wolverine called, "an' go to your cabin!"
"Yeah!" Donkey added. "We'll leave you alone now that you've got your mess together!"
Jack couldn't help but laugh, and his deep laughter thrilled Will's ears and made his smile grow even more brilliant. It was good to have family who cared and to have those who knew more than you did to help you get your mess together. He beat Will climbing up the rope, then turned around to help him up. "Thanks, guys," Jack said.
Will nodded even as he added, "For everything."
Jack took Will's hand and led him toward the cabin with Wolverine and Donkey looking on and grinning from ear to ear. Jack couldn't wait to get Will's wet clothes off of him. He didn't know where they would go from there but trusted that their hearts would lead them.
Faith sighed as she took one last dip into the water. She'd hoped that the sea might get her betraying mind off of that annoying kid, but her thoughts just kept going right back to him. She had retrieved a rock a few seconds before and now tossed it up to the ship's deck as she started to make her way back up the rope she'd left dangling down.
Dawson lay in his new hiding place, watching and hoping to see Faith naked once more. He thought he'd never seen any one as beautiful as his Faith, and he only wished that he dared come out and stroke her silky, satiny skin. He longed to do so but knew it would be a fatal mistake. Something came flying out of nowhere and landed almost on top of him. He yelped before he could stop himself. He lay on his back with his hand over his mouth, hardly daring to breathe. Had she heard him? He certainly hoped not!
Faith had barely leapt onto the deck when she heard a yelp. Her head shot up at the sound. "Dawson?" His name left her lips before she could stop herself. It couldn't be . . .
He heard her call his name but did not answer. He was ever so extremely relieved when Salem said, "Nope. Me! You almost hit me! Be careful where you throw those things!" He came sauntering out of his own hiding place so that Faith could see him.
She shook her head, her dark eyes narrowed at the black cat. "That wasn't your voice."
Screwing his face up, Salem made a high-pitched yelp as close to Dawson as he could. It came close but was not near enough to convince her. "You scared me, girl!" he insisted. "That thing almost hit me!"
She looked down at him but shook her head. "You're hiding something, or maybe I should say some one." She stepped past him.
"And you're full of it!" Salem snapped. "Why would I be hiding anything? I was simply trying to take a nap, and you disturbed my rest!" He walked back over to where the fallen rock lay and kicked it with his back foot, rolling it to her. "That thing almost ended my days!"
"You can look, but you aren't going to find anything because there isn't anything here. I know you won't be satisfied until you do, so go right ahead." He laid down and began to wash his paws, watching her. "You know you're about to miss supper," he added nonchalantly with a flick of his tail.
"I had an apple earlier after I killed some one who happened to be slightly more annoying than you," she returned irritably. "In other words, I'll live," she continued dryly, "but thanks for the concern." Turning her attention back to where the rock had landed, she started to walk nearer when the ship suddenly seemed to surge.
She cursed as her feet were nearly knocked out from under her. "It never ends," she muttered, snatching up her clothes. She loved battles, but they could certainly be aggravating when they interrupted something. She dressed swiftly while glancing around at the crates around them. "I guess you're right," she told Salem.
"I don't know what I was thinking," she added, her teary eyes looking right at the shadows where Dawson was hiding but never seeing him. "He's probably dead anyway."
When the ship had surged, it had caused Dawson to roll across the floor. His heart froze in his chest as Faith's eyes stared right at him; he was careful not to move so that he did not give himself away. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes. He would never have thought those tears were for him if he had not seen them himself and heard her words. If some one else had told him about it, as Salem had attempted to earlier, Dawson would have thought they had lied. He wanted to go to her and comfort her but knew that if he even tried that, she'd throw him overboard herself. He held himself completely still, praying that she would not see him, and was extremely relieved when she didn't.
Faith quickly buttoned her pants, then grabbed her sword. "Speaking of which, it's time to go kill again so you might want to -- " Her voice abruptly broke off as darkness suddenly engulfed them and the worst stink she'd ever smelled hit her nose.
Dawson's nose was assailed by the most Gods-awful stench he had ever smelled. What was the awful thing putting out such a stench! Did it intend to eat them! He prayed that it didn't. The only weapon he had was the dagger that Brendan had given him earlier, and something that smelled so awful had to be way bigger than anything the dagger could put down. He cringed against the floor, trying to make himself smaller. His eyes peered in every direction he could look in as he hoped to see what was causing the awful stench before it saw him.
Wolf had made love to Elvira so many times that he had lost track of the actual number. It wasn't that he was not getting off, because he had every time. It was instead that his body burned so much for hers. After having been deprived of sexual completion his entire life, he had finally found a woman who was more than a match for him. He knew he really should be about his duties, but since no one had actually called for him by name, there was no way that he was coming out of the crow's nest.
It was during one of their rest sessions where he was simply laying, holding her, and reveling in the glow of their passion that the ship surged. He released her reluctantly, rolled to his feet, and peered anxiously downward, trying unsuccessfully to see what was going on. He could see nothing but felt the hair on his arms stand straight up. He sniffed the air, and the worst scent he had ever smelled hit his nose. The thought of Elvira was the only thing that kept him from immediately succumbing to the smell. "I don't know what's going on down there, Elvira. Maybe I should get dressed and go down, but I don't want to leave you."
Elvira had gotten to her feet, as well, and was about to answer Wolf when some one joined them in the crow's nest. Her black eyes shot wide with surprise as she looked at the other woman. "Delvira?"
Wolf turned around just in time to see a woman join them in the crow's nest. She was the spitting image of his Elvira, and he heard Elvira greet her by name. "What?" he asked, confusion showing on his face. Now there were two of them? He didn't think he could handle both of them. Elvira was needing his utmost attention, and they were an equal match. He didn't want the other one, but he didn't even get a chance to say anything before the newcomer reached out, touched Elvira, and they both vanished instantly.
He howled out his rage and frustration. Where had Elvira gone! Where had that bitch taken his woman! He continued to howl even as he fought wolfing out. Normally, he had no trouble controlling his wolf, but when he got really angry, like he was now, it always threatened to come out. "BRING HER BACK!" he screamed. Then he howled again. He was quickly losing control, and he knew it.
Seconds later, the weird stench filled his nose even more. Wolf felt himself losing it completely as he fell backward and over the side of the crow's nest. What? was the last thought he had before he passed out from the stench. He fell end over end until he fell on some one, knocking them out cold.
Jack had been trying to get Will's boots off and was thrown forward onto Will when the ship surged. He righted himself as he pulled the last boot off. "What the Hell was that? Did we hit a rock?" he asked, running to his closet and searching for pants. Not only were there no pants in his closet, but he could not find a single article of clothing. "WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES!" Jack bellowed. "WHO'S BEEN IN HERE! THEY'VE ROBBED ME BLIND!"
Will squatted beside the chest that sat at the end of the bed. He was just lifting its lid when an anguished howl met their ears. His head snapped up, and his wild eyes turned questioningly toward Jack.
"We're under attack!" Jack explained. "That's Wolf! I've got to have a pair of pants; I'm not going out there naked! Wolverine can fight in the nude, but I'm not! Is there anything in the chest?" he queried hopefully.
Will looked down at the chest's contents, and his surprise registered in his voice as he answered, "It looks like somebody emptied your entire closet in here!"
"Great! Throw me a pair of pants," Jack requested and Will did so. He caught them and slipped them on quickly. Then grabbing a sword, he ran out on deck. Will followed suit, the Governor's sword in his hand.
It was the darkest Hellhole they had ever been in. They could see nothing, but the stench filled the air. They heard something hit the deck and turned toward the sound. Squinting as hard as they could, they could barely make out two forms who they thought were Wolverine and Donkey topple over each other and fall out cold. Wolf's howl split the air again before falling abruptly silent, and their blood ran cold.
