Chapter Thirty-one
Ororo tried not to let the stench get to her as she flew over the bog, her blue eyes unable to believe what her lightning bolts illuminated. She had never seen anything like this bog before and had trouble believing that it was only that. After all, what bog was filled with dung that farted constantly up at her?
Hoggle tried to see anything but lightning bolts, but he couldn't. Some one was coming to rescue him! At last, he would get out of there! Jareth had put him in there so long ago that Hoggle could no longer remember exactly when it had happened, and he had simply forgotten about him except for the daily buzzard dropping of food. Hoggle wanted out of the Bog more than he had ever wanted anything else! He yearned for the daylight!
He had been unable to help the deceit that had gotten him thrown into the Bog. He had been caught between a rock and a hard place and had had to either work with Helvira or be eaten. He had tried to explain that to Jareth, who had refused to listen and had instead just tossed him in. Hoggle had clung to the tree he had managed to land on; he had sat on the limb the entire time, never getting down to the point that the Bog could get on him. Yet, after all that time, the Bog was still the only thing he could smell. He had not even been able to sleep well for fear that he would fall off of the limb.
He had given up calling Jareth a long time ago. Jareth didn't care; he never had. Hoggle knew that Jareth would leave him dangling there until he had need of him again. He had done it before in the past but never for such a long time. It would have done him no good to call Delvira, either, for she simply would have lobbed fireballs at him until he had fallen out of the tree. But rescue, at last, was at hand! Some other unhappy travelers had fallen into Jareth's trap, and even though he could not get out of the Bog, it would feel great to get other people around him and a steadier surface under his feet.
He was surprised to see a flying woman coming at him. "Who are you?" he asked. "And thanks for saving me!"
Ororo turned toward the voice that called to her and was relieved to see the little man who had been screaming for help. "Thank Goddess I finally found you!" she exclaimed. "I had begun to fear that thing had swallowed you. My name is Ororo Munroe. You are quite welcome, but I must warn you. We will not return to the ship by a normal manner." She hovered in front of him as she explained, "The winds will carry us." She reached a hand out toward the strange, little man as she added, "You may hold to my hand if you wish."
"Will that make me fly too?" he questioned. The first smile that he had worn in years spread over his face as he thought of being able to fly. "Cool!" He eagerly lifted his hand toward her.
She took his hand gently in her own, then gestured at him with her free hand. Breezes slowly lifted him into the air. She gave him a chance to show any fear, but when he did not, she increased their speed on the journey back to the ship. They were nearly to the Pearl when she saw it begin to shimmer. "Goddess! What now!"
Hoggle screeched, "WE HAVE TO GET ON THE SHIP OR WE'LL BE LEFT BEHIND!"
"HOLD TIGHTLY!" Ororo called to him in warning. The winds whipped around them and shot them onto the ship. For a change, her landing was not graceful as they fell together in a tumbling heap. No sooner had they fallen onto the deck than the stench vanished.
The ship surged, and Jack almost lost his footing. If it had not been for Carl's unconscious weight on his foot, he would have lost it completely. He looked around and found that they appeared to be back in their own world. He didn't know if it was later than they had left or earlier; time was of no consequence. The being who had done this to them still had not put in an appearance. He breathed deeply of the fresh air and glanced back at Will. "Are you okay?"
Will nodded though his worried eyes continued to flick around. He would have asked Jack but knew that, even if he was not, he would have still told him he was fine as long as they were not alone. "I wonder what's next?"
"I wonder where the scoundrel is," Jack replied. "I want to know why he did it to us in the first place. As far as I am aware, I have never crossed paths with him nor have I done anything to anger him."
As Will listened to Jack, he put out the torch he held but remained at the ready, the Governor's sword still held tightly in his grip.
Lex put out the torch. "We'd best see if Jack's got any clue as to what's going on." He looked worriedly back at the door where his family slept. I won't be gone long, he promised silently. He began walking toward Jack.
Faith had nodded when Lex had called to her and swiftly caught up with him. "Just remember, Luthor," she whispered to him, her voice and eyes hard and angry again as they neared the others, "if you tell any one -- "
"I know; I know," Lex put in. "You'll cut my throat. Just you remember not to tell any one yourself." He pretended to be hard on the outside again, too. It wouldn't do for them to think that a Luthor ever got soft.
She gave him a quick, curt nod. "You know I don't talk to anybody." Except you. Glancing down at Salem, she realized that she had to add, And him.
All around both ships, the sleepers were beginning to wake up as the gentle ocean breeze brushed over them, assailing their nostrils with the sweet aroma of the sea. Cole stirred slightly. Realizing he had a soft, cushiony pillow for his head, he didn't move at first. Some one's arms were around him, and it felt good. He recognized Piper's scent. He heard some one move and turned to watch as Prue took the food out of the oven. He hoped it didn't smell like where they had just come from.
He moved his head slightly so that he could watch Piper. She had fallen asleep. He thought she had never looked more beautiful and moved his head just enough that he could kiss her at the base of her throat. "Wake up, beautiful," he whispered. "I think our nightmare is over."
Piper stirred to slowly and was surprised to hear Cole calling to her. Her worried eyes flew open at the realization that he was conscious again. "C-Cole? Are you okay?"
"No," he breathed in response. "I'm even better than okay; I'm in Heaven! What a wonderful place to wake up!" He gazed adoringly at her beauty; a brilliant smile sparkled on his face. "Thanks for holding me." He couldn't remember a time when he had ever been held like that; waking up that way had been very peaceful.
She could not help the blush that tinged her cheeks any more than she could stop her hand from lifting to gently cup his handsome face. "I was worried," she admitted, gazing up at him in deep concern. "You just showed up and fell out. I didn't know what had happened, and I was so scared that something had . . . hurt you . . . "
"I don't know what happened. I just know that I woke up in Heaven." He caressed her cheek, his hand moving slowly down her throat. He wished that he could replace his hand with his lips but didn't dare.
Shivers of delight shot through her at his touch. They grew as his hand moved slowly down her throat, shooting from his fingertips all the way throughout her body. She had never felt such and reveled in the emotions he evoked. "I'm just thankful you're okay," she whispered, her own hand caressing his cheek.
He looked intently down into her eyes. "May a frog have permission to kiss a Princess?" he asked.
She looked at him in confusion as it took her a moment to realize what he was meaning. "Cole, you're not a -- " The realization of the Princess' identity froze her words in her throat. A slow, gentle smile spread over her face as she found herself whispering, "Yes."
His lips sought hers gently at first, and he held her even closer to him. He forgot about the world around them as the only thing that meant anything to him was the kiss. He did not give her everything he had, because he did not want to frighten her. He pledged himself to her with that kiss, as gentle as a butterfly's wings with a promise of heat to come.
She returned his kiss in full even as his touch and the passion that engulfed them both melted her very bones. Her hand slid up his face, caressing his tanned skin, and her fingers gently curled into his dark hair. Her lips parted under his, requesting and welcoming more.
Part of him wanted to take her and shimmer to a secluded spot so that they could have more time together. The other part of him felt eyes looking at them; they made him come back to his senses. He lifted his head only to see that their audience was Prue, who was standing and staring at them with a huge grin on her face. His attention returned to Piper. "Later, sweetheart; I promise to return. I'm going to court you, Piper Halliwell, before we burn the ship down." He shimmered out with an even bigger smile on his face.
Piper's breath released in a fluttering sigh full of love, lust, and longing. She wished he had not left but understood why he had to. She had not seen Prue and had completely forgotten about the others but knew that, if he had stayed, they would have became involved in a very scandalous activity indeed.
Prue walked over, leaned down, and gave her hand to her sister. "How was it, sweetheart?" she asked.
Piper looked up at her older sister in a daze. She lifted a hand to take Prue's but missed it at first. She tried again, and Prue's hand caught her own. "Oh. My. Gods!" Piper breathed. "I've never felt anything . . . never . . . never even dreamed anything could be that . . . that wonderful . . . !"
Prue smiled at her sister as she pulled her to her feet. "I felt the same way when I touched Brendan and again when I kissed him. Aren't we the lucky ones?" Although Prue had had experience in the past, nothing had ever prepared her for what she had felt when Brendan had touched her. They simply had to be off the ship when they went through with the action or there would be nothing left of it but cinders!
Piper was still so dazed that she could only sigh in response. It was then that the memory of the food hit her. "Oh no!"
"What's wrong?" Prue asked.
"The food!" Piper exclaimed, turning from her sister and starting to rush to the oven. She stopped in her tracks, however, as she saw that it was already sitting out on the nearby counters. "Thanks," she told Prue with a relieved grin as she looked back at her sister.
"Couldn't let all that scrumptious stuff go to waste even if I couldn't smell it while it was cooking," Prue said. "It smelled wonderful when I took it out; I just hope it doesn't have a stinky taste to it! I have never smelled anything so awful!"
"It shouldn't," Piper started. "I wouldn't think the smell would effect the taste, but then again, with that stuff, who knows? I wonder what that thing was any way."
"I don't know, but I think the Captains took care of it."
"Thank Gods!"
Meanwhile, bubbles began to appear out of nowhere. They drifted around the Pearl, hovering above every conceivable exposed surface. It was then that Wolverine woke up and looked around. "Where the heck did all these fairy bubbles come from?" he asked. He reached out to help Donkey get to his hooves.
Donkey stood with his head held low, not daring to move as his wide eyes stared at the bubbles. "Huh?" he asked.
Before any one could move, react, or even answer Wolverine, a screech was heard, and a magnificent white owl swooped in to land on the quarter deck. A glimmering light surrounded him, and as blackness whirled around the owl, Hoggle and Carl, who had just awoken, screamed. Carl took a flying leap behind Jack and Will even as his cousin dodged behind Ororo.
Where the black swirl ceased, a man with spiky, blonde hair dressed in tight, black leather appeared. He seemed to glitter as he peered down at them. He had barely began to gaze imperiously at the crew before him when he felt some one trying to break past his defenses. His stern eyes moved to a blonde woman. "You shall not try your little ice tricks on me," he informed her even as he flicked his hand toward Crystal. She vanished instantly.
Jack stepped forward. "Who are you, and what do you want with us?" He felt some one move beside him and, out of the corner of his eye, saw Faith. She had slipped her dagger from her boot. His eyes quickly returned to the man, and he let no sign of what he had seen appear on his face.
Faith had moved Salem to one arm again, and she swiftly threw her dagger with perfect aim straight for the blonde man's heart. He flicked his wrist toward the dagger, and it flew backwards. Faith tried to move but felt as though she had been paralyzed as the dagger closed in on her throat. She expected her blade to meet her own neck, but at the last moment, the dagger transformed into a snake. She finally found herself able to move again as it wrapped around her throat. She dropped Salem to the deck and tried to tear the snake from her, but its strength was greater than her own. Its coils tightened around her throat, cutting off her air. The only sign of her fear was her wild eyes as she continued trying to free herself.
Seeing that Faith was having no luck with the snake, Lex leapt forward and began to tear at the thing that was choking Faith. Finally managing to get it a loose, he threw it away from them only to have it become all fluff and feathers and let go with a string of unintelligible words. A goblin scurried away and back toward Jareth.
Faith had nearly passed out and started to sway, but Lex caught her quickly. She shook her head, forcing herself back, but dizziness still clouded her thoughts. Lex's coat hid his hand tightening on her arm. He knew she did not want to rely on him but also knew that she would hit the deck if he released her. Faith gave him a brief second as she was still struggling to catch her breath but then ripped away from him.
It was at that moment that the bubbles descended to the ship, each one releasing a goblin. Every crew member stood frozen to the deck, staring at Jareth. What would be the next move? Who would live, and who would die?
Jareth's lips curled upwards into a slow, sly smile, but there was no warmth in his expression. His hard gaze returned to Jack. "My name is Jareth, and I am their King. You will stand and listen without any further attack or I will release them."
"What do you want?" Jack repeated. He did not take his eyes off of the man.
"I already have what I want."
Jack's mind immediately went to: He had the ships! What he wanted them for he hadn't a clue. He also didn't have a clue as to how to fight him. "And what is that?" Jack asked aloud.
Like the others around her, Ororo, too, stood rooted to the spot. Unlike them, however, she knew that she was not defenseless. She watched Jareth with calm eyes that showed no hint of her thoughts even as her mind reached out to the elements. A lightning bolt shot at Jareth, but he waved it away as though it was nothing but a pesky fly. He then waved his hand at her, and she felt herself picked up and thrown back into Wolverine.
Hoggle had been hiding behind her. The very moment that his cover was lifted, he screamed in fear and ran around until he was able to join his cousin behind Jack and Will.
Jareth looked at Jack. "Call your people down," he instructed him. "I will not give you another warning."
Jack called back to his crew. "Do not fight! We must see what he wants! We do not want to fight goblins!" He hated to tell them not to fight for his every instinct cried out for attack. However, he would not do something stupid to get the others killed.
Jareth's intent gaze swept the ship as he made certain that every one of them was going to obey their Captain. He watched a short man with wild hair helping the Weather Witch to get to her feet and saw the raven-haired girl who had attempted to throw her dagger into his heart stoop beside a black cat who was stirring slowly to consciousness. The others stood as still as statues, and Jareth's eyes finally returned to Jack.
"There seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding," he began. His voice trailed off momentarily as he was suddenly joined by two women flanking him on either side. They wore the same dress and appeared exactly alike. Both had pale skin; long, ebony hair; and black eyes that peered down at the crew. One clung to Jareth with an arm linked over his shoulders and a leg hiked against him. The other worriedly scanned the group.
Jack almost passed out right on the spot! Not only had Helvira taken over the ship with no fight, but she had cloned herself! His mind flashed back to a few minutes before they had been returned to their own world; it had been then that he had gone to the storage cabinet behind the steering wheel, retrieved his jacket that still contained Helvira's heart, and thrown both overboard into the Bog of Eternal Stench. He was thankful that he had done that for at least she would not regain her heart easily.
Wolf's eyes flashed open, and it was only then that he found out that he had fallen on Brendan, knocking him out. He helped his friend to his feet. "Wolf!" He heard Elvira call his name and turned to look in the direction that her voice came from even as relief that she lived flooded him. He gazed in puzzlement at all the crew members standing frozen in spot, but one look at Jack's face told him that, whereas the others were only scared, Jack was petrified.
It then dawned on him why: Jack thought Elvira was Helvira. It was his own fault. He should have introduced Jack to his woman and told him that she had a sister. It had not dawned on him at the time that her sister might be and had turned out to be Helvira. He ran toward Elvira without a second thought.
"Stop, Wolf!" Jack called out urgently. "He will think you are attacking and unleash his minions!"
Wolf stared at the goblins in puzzlement. What kind of trick was this? He knew that it was Elvira. Why would she bring goblins to attack his people? Then his eyes were drawn to the man on the quarterdeck and the woman draped all over him. Oh my Gods! he thought. It's Helvira! Why hadn't Elvira told him that her sister was identical and that, worst of all, she was Helvira? He stopped beside Jack. "It's a good day to die," he whispered.
"Don't want to," Jack answered, "but if I have to, I will. Protect Will."
Brendan had nearly had to drag himself to Jack's side. He could not tear his eyes away from the two Helviras, and fear clouded his thoughts and nearly choked him. He heard Jack but could not even find his voice to reassure his dearest friend. Instead, he only continued to stare at the women and man and let out a frightened yelp when one of the women jumped down at them.
Jareth's hand was still pointed at Wolf when Elvira leapt off of the quarterdeck. "Jareth, if you hurt him, I'll kill you!" She raced to Wolf's side and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
Wolf had not realized that he was still naked, but despite the danger, he felt his sword come to life and poke at her through her dress. This was definitely his Elvira, but her sister was Helvira! They were all going to die! "H-How could you not tell me?" he asked her. "She's Jack's deadliest enemy! He fought her today! He took her heart!" His voice was breaking. "She's going to kill us now!"
Jack stared at Wolf in astonishment. How could he be playing with Helvira? Had he betrayed his Captain? Wolf would never do that, Jack decided. She had cast a spell on him. His hand eased to his sword, ready for the fight, but he snatched his hand back with an oath when what he thought was his sword bit him. He looked downward and shook the thing off of his hand. Damn goblins! Where was his sword! He had to protect Will!
"Looking for this?" Jareth's calm voice asked him as he twirled Jack's sword in the air.
Jack knew the fight was over before it had ever began. There was no way to fight the goblins, let alone their King! "What do you want?" he asked him again.
"I told you," Jareth reminded him, "I already have what I want."
It was then that the other Helvira leaned closer to him and whispered something in his ear. He looked at her. "Not now, Delvira. I'm trying to . . . " At her stern look, he sighed, shrugged, and handed her the sword. Taking off his cape, he tossed it down at Wolf. "Cover yourself."
Wolf snatched the cape out of the air and wrapped it around him, tying it in the front. What does it matter, he thought, if I'm covered when I'm going to die? We can't even fight the things when they change our very swords to themselves! His mind searched for a way that he could protect not just Will but the Captain, as well.
Xena had been staring the whole time at Jareth. Her eyes were angry, but she did not make a move for she knew their people would die if she did. How had this happened? How had they snuck up on them and defeated them without a single blow? She glanced at Elvira and knew that they had just rescued her that day. She was draped all over Wolf now and seemed oblivious to the danger. How could it be possible? Was the girl daft? She had led the enemy into their midst and caused this! If Xena lived through the battle, she would take Elvira on one to one. If the girl was innocent, she'd live; if she wasn't, she was so dead!
"Now," Jareth's voice carried over them, "if you will all calm yourselves, I might have a chance to explain our misunderstanding." He stared at each of them and, finding them all silent and still, was about to speak again when a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Jareth, you sly son-of-a-bitch! You caused all of this?" Faith gasped and tried to cover Salem's mouth but was not in time.
Jareth looked at the two, and his smile shifted slightly. "Well, I never would have thought you'd deign such a meager vessel with your presence, Salem!"
Jack looked from Salem to Jareth. Did they know each other? Just what was going on here? He didn't say anything but continued looking for an opportunity.
"What are you doing picking on them, any way?" Salem questioned him. "Were you after me?" He prayed that that was not the case.
"After you?" Jareth repeated puzzledly. "Why on Earth would you think that, old friend?"
"Old friend!" Salem spat, biting at Faith's fingers when she again attempted to cover his mouth. "You tried to kill me the last time we were together!"
"I did no such thing," Jareth thundered, "and I only sent your little group to the Bog because we mistakenly thought Elvira was on here without her consent!"
"You always were full of it!"
"Watch that tongue of yours, Salem," Jareth warned. "I do not want to have to return you to the Bog, but I will if I must!"
Salem hushed instantly, and Faith breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had thought that he had finally came to his senses but had to bite her own tongue to keep from screaming in frustration when he spoke again. "Did you or did you not try to kill me immediately following the trial?"
"What are you talking about?" Jareth questioned him. "I was thrown into the labyrinth as soon as I was sentenced! This is the first time I've seen you since my own trial!" Salem's questioning eyes met Jareth's. "I swear on our code."
Before Faith could even react, Salem raced from her arms where she had finally managed to still him and took a flying leap onto the quarterdeck. He sat beside Jareth and lifted a paw up to him. Jareth raised a hand, and Salem lifted into the air. Only when they were eye to eye did Jareth accept Salem's paw and give it a tiny shake.
Faith could stay silent no more. "Just what the fuck is going on here!"
"As I told Salem," Jareth explained to the others, cuddling Salem in one arm, "this entire situation has been a misunderstanding. We tried to reach Port Royal in time but did not succeed in doing so. When we realized that Elvira was on your ship, we thought it was against her will." Delvira elbowed him, and he turned to look at her even as he muttered, "There is no way . . ."
"Jareth," she whispered to him, "sweetheart, a good King knows when to swallow his pride and apologize."
His furious glare cut through her. "I am not about to -- "
"Fine, then," she shot back with a knowing grin tugging at her black lips, "you just won't get your pants popped again any time soon -- or what comes afterward."
A low growl ushered forth from him at her, but he silenced himself, sighed deeply, and turned his attention back to the crew. "I must . . . ap-apo-apo-apolo-"
"Apologize," Delvira put in for him.
He nodded. "That and thank you for saving my sister-in-law."
Jack's hands itched for his sword. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he needed the comforting feeling of it. He could feel Will at his side but yet he had not said anything. Did he have his sword? Jack wanted it. He needed a weapon. Any kind would do!
He was surprised when his own weapon came floating back to hover in the air just before him. This could not be happening! It was just another strange event in an even stranger day! he told himself even as his hands sneaked out and grabbed the weapon. "We accept your apology, Your Majesty, but I want to know why you have brought Helvira aboard my ship."
"Helvira!" Jareth, Delvira, and Elvira all cried in unison. "Where!" Their eyes roamed their surroundings frantically for any sign of the bitch.
"Is your woman not Helvira?"
Jareth looked questioningly at Delvira. "You didn't change on me, did you?" he whispered to her.
"If I had, would we be standing here?" she shot back.
Jack sheathed his sword. "How can there be three of them?" he asked Jareth. "Your woman's not her. Wolf's woman's not her. Where is she!" His eyes glanced around. If there were two, there could be three!
"Gods, I pray she isn't anywhere near here!" Jareth exclaimed truthfully before he could stop himself.
Delvira patted his arm reassuringly. "My name is Delvira," she began to explain to Jack and the others, "and I am Jareth's wife. My sister," she nodded to Elvira who was still snuggled securely in Wolf's arms, "is Elvira. We hate Helvira as much as you appear to."
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Gods she's not here! I thought she had found us!"
Jareth had noticed Jack sheathe his sword and breathed a silent sigh of relief at the realization that he would not have to do any further harm to his sister-in-law's new friends. He waved his hands in the air, and his goblins scurried away, vanishing from sight and returning to their own ship that now appeared in front of the Pearl. With Delvira in one arm and Salem in the other, he hopped down to stand before Jack. "There are three of them," he told them, "and each appears and smells exactly identical to the others. They can even act so closely together that no one can tell them apart."
Jack looked at him. "I did not know your sister-in-law was identical to Helvira. I fought with Helvira earlier today, and I took her heart. If," he looked angrily at Wolf, "some one had bothered to tell me, some of this could have been avoided!"
Wolf looked everywhere but at Jack. "Sorry, Captain," he finally muttered. "I didn't think."
Elvira jumped to his defense. "I didn't tell him. How was he supposed to know!"
Jack's gaze turned to Elvira. "It would have been nice if you had told us. Your sister and I are great enemies. She would like nothing better than to kill the members of my crew, make me watch, and then destroy me." He had not said "kill me", because he figured she'd keep him alive and torture him.
Elvira's mouth flew open, but before she could say anything, Delvira, who was eyeing Brendan questioningly, interrupted her. "You look familiar," she told him.
"I was . . . I was held captive by Helvira for a -- "
"You were the boy, weren't you?" Delvira's eyes moistened. "I saw you when I fought her once, but I never had the chance to get near you. I would have saved you had I been able to, but I barely escaped with my life. In fact, I wouldn't have even managed that had she not let me."
"Let you?" Jack repeated in surprise.
Delvira nodded. "Helvira has been a constant threat to us for nearly our entire lives. She enjoys playing with us and lets us live so that she can do so again later."
"That's why I didn't say anything," Elvira put in. "She has this nasty habit of popping into our lives just when they start getting better and screwing everything up." Her sad eyes would not meet any one's gaze, not even Wolf's concerned expression. "Besides," she argued, "how the Hell was I supposed to know that you guys even knew the bitch?"
"I have fought her twice," Jack said. "Both times I thought I killed her. I took her heart this time. I hope she died, but I doubt it. I fear that she will come after it."
"She will," Jareth put in warningly.
"She won't find it aboard either ship. I left it in the Bog."
"A good place for it," Jareth agreed thoughtfully, "but she will retrieve it sooner or later. At least, though, we should be able to smell her coming from then on."
Jack looked questioningly at him. "What can we do about getting that stench off of our ships? Will it wash off?"
"Well, normally, it stays on its victims for the rest of eternity." Delvira elbowed him. "But, in this case, I can make an exception. Tell your crews to grab hold to something," he warned Jack.
Jack called out, "Every one, grab on to something! It's going to be a bumpy ride!" No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he felt four small hands grab him. He looked down to see the Gnome and Dwarf holding on tightly to him. He grabbed the railing just as the ships were lifted.
Jareth raised his hands, and the ships lifted into the sky. "Hold tightly!" Delvira called to them in warning. "You've never gotten a bumpy ride quite like this one!" She clung to her husband, and even he reached out a gloved hand to grip the railing. He was already muttering strange words underneath his breath, and it was at that time that the ships began to glow with a sparkling light and spin as fast as lightning.
Lorne had barely been waking when Crys had fallen out of thin air on top of him. "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked. "Where did you come from?"
"That bastard!" she fumed. "He won't get away with this!"
"Huh?" Angel asked. "Who?"
"Jareth! He's the one who knocked you and my babies and Lorne . . . " Her babbling stopped suddenly as she found herself gazing down into Lorne's eyes.
"Let me up, darling. Let's go check on the others and see just how bad this Jareth has harmed us." He had been about to get to his feet when he felt the ship come out from under him and laid quickly back down.
Angel felt like he was pinned to the floor as he felt the ship begin to spin madly around. "What the Hell!" he asked. He watched, unable to reach to Prue to help her, as she fell to the floor, her feet knocked out from under her.
Growls echoed in the room as Cindy and Elvira found themselves being slid from one part of the galley to another. Of the three animals only Blue managed to still himself by digging his talons into the door. Piper was barely managing to grip the table hard enough to keep from falling when something knocked her feet out from under her. She fell with a surprised squeal and found herself suddenly on top of the lioness. She stared at her but did not dare to move.
Prue lay on the floor where she had been thrown, trying to catch her breath. What the Hell was going on! she wondered. It felt for all the world like they were in a tornado!
Piper's eyes tore away from Cindy's as she heard the dishes rattling. "No!" she cried out as she saw the meal they had worked so hard on begin to slide off the counter.
Piper's cry tore Crystal's eyes away from Lorne's. She shot her hands out, and a wall of ice encased the food. The dishes hit the ice but did not break it. Piper breathed a sigh of relief.
When the ship finally quieted and settled back down, Angel got shakily to his feet. He turned around to Lorne and offered his hand to Crys.
Crystal had not wanted to be thrown back to the galley, but Lorne's body felt so nice against her own that she did not want to get up. His mere touch burned her more badly than anything she'd ever encountered before, and as she looked back down at him, she realized that her lips craved his again. At that realization, she nearly snatched a hold to Angel's hand in desperation and jumped to her feet.
Lorne got groggily up and helped Prue to stand, then turned to Piper and helped her. They glanced worriedly over at the Lewises. Their chair had fallen over, pinning them. Startled eyes had flashed open, but both sisters had laid still on the floor. Angel walked over and helped them to their feet.
"Wow," Katrina breathed. "Don't know what caused that, but it sure was a rush!"
"Jareth," Crystal remembered aloud, "and he's going to get his!" Her ice blue eyes flashed furiously as she began to march angrily toward the door.
"Who's Jareth?" Katrina asked.
"He's the King of the Goblins," Crys answered, "but he's also who knocked you all out. I'm going to ice him if he doesn't find a way to toss me back in here again!" she ground out.
"Then you'll need our help," Katrina said. "We'll go with you."
"We'll all go," Angel put in. "We need to see what's going on."
"But the food -- " Piper started to protest, worried that the animals would get into it.
"It'll be fine. I'll melt the ice when we return." Without another word, Crys started off again. Blue flew beside her, cooing worriedly. "I know," she growled at him, "but I'm going to this time! The nerve of him! How dare he hurt you and the others!" Cindy and Elvira padded alongside her, both trying to talk sense into her.
Hearing Cindy, Celina spoke up. "Perhaps we should first find out exactly what is happening before you kill him, Crystal."
"Crys, calm down," Angel told her. "You're not going to kill anybody yet. There doesn't seem to be anything going on. Every one's just standing around in groups and listening. The fight's over, and I heard the man you call Jareth talking to Jack in friendly tones.""Angel, I don't care what he's doing now!" She raised her hands, and ice shot out again, this time forming a bridge between the two ships. "It's bad enough that I'm endangering you all! I'm not going to stand by and let some jerk hurt you, my babies, Lorne, or any of the others!"
"Crys," Lorne called to her, "we weren't actually hurt. Just put to sleep for a while. I don't think Jareth did it himself. It was the smell."
It was only then that Crystal paused. She glanced questioningly at the others, and agreeing nods met her gaze. She breathed an audible sigh of relief. Blue cooed from her shoulder, informing her that she had yet to kill any one herself and he wasn't about to let her begin.
"He didn't hurt you either when he threw you back into the galley, did he? Just your ego?" Angel asked quietly.
Crys whirled on him. "My ego!"
"Yes, your feelings. I didn't see a scratch on you."
"He didn't hurt me," she admitted, "but he didn't hurt my feelings either! He just pi -- made me angry!"
"Okay. So let's give him a chance and, if he gets out of line, I'll let you clobber him but not kill him. In fact, I'll help you. Agreed?"
She nodded.
Clark had not been asleep when Lex had looked in on him but had pretended to be so that he could have a little time with Faith. He felt left out because Faith would not talk to him. He still hadn't a clue why she would talk to Lex, but he knew they had been good for each other. In fact, she had been the one who had helped Lex and he to get together. He had blocked out their conversation, because he did not want to eavesdrop. He always allowed them that bit of privacy even though he could hear very easily.
He had had no warning when they were attacked, but he did not rush out to confront the attacker. Instead, he stayed back to take care of the children. He knew very well what the others thought of his attack ability. He wasn't proud of it. He knew he should have been more blood-thirsty since he was a Pirate, but he just couldn't bring himself to kill.
He had been surprised when he was thrown from the bed but had crawled under it to hold on to the two children who had woken up, frightened and crying. It proved to be a good thing he had as he was able to hold them still when the ship unexpectedly began to spin around. He was suddenly covered when Sarah erupted. She looked even more frightened, as though she expected him to slap her for throwing up. "It's all right, baby," he consoled her. "I'm sorry you're sick." He stroked her hair gently back out of her face.
"We've got to get you cleaned up." His mind went away from the attack and concentrated on what he could do to clean her. "First thing," he said, talking to her reassuringly, "is that we have to take off your clothes. We'll have to use one of Lex's shirts; mine are all dirty." He looked in the trunk that had turned upside down at the foot of their bed and finally found a shirt. It would drag the ground, because Sarah was so small.
He wiped gently at her mouth with a towel he found and did his best to clean her up. "We really need some water, but this will have to do for now. You take your dress off and then put this on." He closed his eyes even as he pulled his own shirt off, using the inside part of the shirt to wipe off the vomit. He reached and got another shirt. Although it was dirty, it was cleaner than the one he had just pulled off. They all needed baths, but it would have to wait until later, after he had found Lex and was sure that he was all right.
Sarah had been expecting him to strip her. She glanced at him in puzzlement but took the dress off. With shaking hands, she tried to put the shirt on. Julian had closed his eyes, too, but he sensed something was wrong. "What's wrong, Sarah?" He felt his sister's small hand touch his arm. He opened his eyes. "She can't figure out where to stick her head," he told Clark matter-of-factly.
Clark could not help but grin. He imagined Lex's shirt was so big that she had never seen anything like it. He reached out, took it from her, and, still not opening his eyes, felt for the holes. Finding the big one, he slipped it over her head. "Put your arms in the two smaller holes."
Sarah still had not said a single word, and that puzzled Clark. True, Julian didn't talk much, but Sarah had not made a single sound since they had found her. He opened his eyes and saw that she was standing before him, looking at him with big, blue eyes that melted his heart even more.
"Let's brush your hair, Sarah," he said, reaching back into the trunk and bringing out his hairbrush. He gently brushed her hair, doing his best to ease the many tangles out. "We need something to tie it up with," he announced when he was, at last, finished. He looked around but could not see any ribbons. "Guess my bandana will have to do," he said. He slipped it out of his pocket and used it to tie her hair back.
"You two stay close to me now," he warned while getting to his feet. "We're going to look for Lex. If I tell you to hide, hide and don't come out until I tell you to." Holding to one of both of their hands, he guided the children out. He used his foot to close the door behind them. He had to know what was going on, but he would never willingly leave the children alone. He only hoped he could keep them safe and that Lex was all right, wherever his beloved had gotten to.
