Chapter Thirty-two

Crystal was the first to reach the railing. She jumped onto it without hesitation. Ice shot from her hands, forming a bridge across the ships that she began to walk over even as it was being made. Cindy and Elvira joined her, and Blue swooped in toward her shoulder. When she did not attempt to shoo him away, the relieved dragon settled in on her shoulder.

Angel followed hot on Crystal's heels. He did not trust the ice, but he knew it would be the quickest way over. Behind him came Lorne, then the Lewises, and finally Prue dragging Piper along. Piper seemed to be wary of the bridge, but Prue had no such reservations. She knew she didn't weigh anywhere near what Angel weighed, and if it would hold him, she knew it would hold her.

Angel found Jack's face and saw that he was no longer nervous. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the battle had been adverted but wondering why. Although they could see what had been going on, the only times that he had had a clear understanding of what was happening was when the others had yelled out their words. He had missed a lot of the encounter by being in the galley and was eager to find out what was going on.

Lorne did not like the ideal that Angel was between him and Crys but knew better than to encroach on the territory. He'd just move as close as he could to her after they got on the other side.

The group was nearly across to the Pearl when two voices called to them from the Witch. "Hey, wait for us!"

Crys glanced over her shoulder and could barely make out the forms of the orange catman she'd met earlier and a brunette stranger hopping onto the bridge. "Looks like your husbands are coming for the ride," she called to the catwomen before turning her attention back to the bridge. Reaching the Pearl, she jumped down and immediately turned angry eyes to look for Jareth. It did not take her long to find him.

Jack was still talking to Jareth about the ship. He was very relieved that the stench was gone and thanked Jareth for removing it. "I still don't understand why you thought Elvira was being held against her will?" he asked.

"You are Pirates, are you not?" Jareth coldly returned with a single, cocked eyebrow.

"Lighten up, Hot Pants," Delvira whispered to him mischievously, "or I might just have to go ahead and pop those pants." She ignored the surprised look he shot her and turned her attention to Jack. "We knew about the troubles with Port Royal but didn't know things were going to come to a head so soon. We found it destroyed when we got there and thought, at first, that Elvira was dead. If I hadn't managed to think to check the crystal ball, we would have never known she had lived, let alone was on your ship."

"Unbeknownst to me, your sister was amongst a group of Witches that were attacked this morning by the sanctified citizens of Port Royal. They had one objective on their minds, and that was to burn the Witches. The Witches attempted to sacrifice themselves. We lost some of them, but some were saved. We couldn't leave them there, and so they were brought to our ships."

"I didn't get to meet any of them, because I was away," Jack continued to explain. "When I returned, we were still under attack. We fought our way clear of that. It destroyed Port Royal and almost got us too. At that point, I still had not met your sister, and her rescuer did not take the time to introduce us." He glanced angrily over at Wolf. "He was too busy entertaining her. I'm not going to go into detail there; you can take that up with him."

"No need," Delvira started. It was Jareth's turn to interrupt her, however.

"If Elvira's sex drive is anything like Delvira's, I can assure you that he most likely did not have a chance." He glanced questioningly over at Wolf. "I only hope, for his sake, that he has more than one pair of pants."

"Pants?" Jack questioned. "I keep hearing references to your pants. I don't exactly want to know what happens to them, but most of us don't have extra clothes." He looked at Wolf again. "I suggest you better get some while we're in Tortuga."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir, for not telling you." Wolf hoped Jack would not stay mad too long.


Xena had watched as the other group had passed over the ice bridge and hoped it would stay strong long enough for Gabrielle and her to pass over. She wanted to make a dignified entrance, so she didn't reach for one of the ropes. Besides, that was one of the secret ways Jack had of getting from ship to ship quickly that every crew member knew but did not want revealed to their enemies. She didn't know if this man was enemy or friend yet, but what she had seen so far made her definitely dislike him.

Jack looked up as Xena and Gabrielle came across the bridge. "Your Majesties, I'd like you to meet Captain Xena and her First Mate, Gabrielle. Xena, Gabrielle, this is the King and Queen of the Goblins, King Jareth and Queen Delvira."

Xena immediately stared into Jareth's eyes. She'd always believed that one could read a person by looking into their eyes, and against her will, she liked what she saw in Jareth's. The man could either be a great ally or a major pain in the butt. She hoped he would be an ally. "Pleased to meet you, Your Majesties," she said. "That stench was awful. Thank you for removing it from our ships."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Jareth responded with a polite tilt of his head to acknowledge the two women. Glancing at Jack, he added approvingly, "I always have found that it is best to be backed up by strong women."

"At least you did after you met me," Delvira teasingly corrected her husband. Looking back to Xena, she continued, "We really do have to apologize for that. It was all a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstandings happen sometimes," Xena accepted with a nod of her head. "I hope that, in the future, we will check it out before having hot tempers. We should trust each other."

Delvira had never been one to investigate a situation before jumping full-force into it. Even as her mouth flew open, however, Jareth calmed her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. He spoke before she could, his eyes returning to Xena's, "Trust is a rare commodity and one that can only be earned, not given freely."

"True," Xena agreed. "We're Pirates. You're Goblins."

Delvira's black eyes flashed, but Jareth gently increased his hand's weight on her shoulder, successfully stilling her tongue just in time. "We are not Goblins," he corrected Xena. "We are . . . well, not really human but neither are we Goblins. We simply rule them."

Xena corrected herself. "You're the keepers of the Goblins. Our people have not trusted each other in the past. In the future, I hope to correct that. We could make strong allies."

Jack had hoped for that but had not been about to say it for he still did not feel easy around Jareth. He found he liked Delvira very much and could easily see why Wolf had been caught up with Elvira. Both women were not only strong but carried themselves well. They reminded him of Xena.

"That sounds like a very good ideal," Jack said, his voice trying to rise an octave on him. "I don't know what's wrong with my voice today. I believe I need something to drink, but we are all out of rum."

Jareth raised a gloved hand into the air and snapped urgently. "Hogwart," he called.

"Hoggle," the Dwarf mumbled.

Jareth ignored him. "Fetch a case of rum and be quick about it, Hogit."


Cole had shimmered into the shadows on the Pearl. He heard the order given for rum and wondered if he could get on the ship and get rid of it before Hoggle got there. He attempted to shimmer aboard Jareth's ship but ran into a force field that knocked him into the water.

He hoped no one had noticed a glimmer of light hitting the water or heard the splash. Damn! he thought. How am I going to get that rum out of here! I'll have to watch when it comes aboard the ships and sneak it out from under their noses.


Jack smiled. Was it going to be this easy to get some rum at long last? He couldn't believe it! He felt like it had been the longest day of his life, and he'd just about give his right arm to get one swig of rum! "Thank you, Your Majesty. I can pay you for it if you wish. How much would you like for it?"

Jareth was about to answer Jack when Hoggle returned, pushing a crate that was nearly as big as he was in front of him. Jareth blatantly ignored the Dwarf's sweating and grunting as he stooped and pried free a bottle. Standing again, he turned his attention back to Jack as he opened the bottle. "Not everything can be bought by money, Captain Sparrow," he informed him. "What I require instead is a tour of your ship so that I may ascertain that your accommodations for my sister-in-law meet my specifications."

"I'll be glad to give you one," Jack replied, his mouth watering for a taste of the rum. He wondered if Jareth was going to stand there and drink it or give it to him.

With his lips curled upwards into one of his trademark smiles, Jareth passed the bottle to Jack. "Hogwart," he called down to the Dwarf, "pass the bottles out amongst any who want them. Any," he added sternly, looking down at Hoggle with a quirked brow even as Delvira retrieved two bottles, "from Captain Sparrow's and Xena's ships." His attention returned to Jack as the Dwarf raced about following his order.

"Thank you very much, Jareth. May I call you Jareth?"

The King inclined his head into a nod. "For now, at least," he began. "I must warn you, however, that should I not like what I find . . . " He had been raising one of the bottles to his own lips and stopped suddenly, staring at something that was glittering on his glove.

Jack saw the glitter even as he was about to lift a bottle to his lips. "What's that?" He wondered what the heck had been left on the boat this time and hoped it wasn't from the Bog.

Gabrielle leaned close enough into Xena that she could whisper to her lover without being overheard by normal ears. "Is it just me or does that look like pink . . . "

Before Gabrielle could even finish her thought, Delvira, who was peering closely at her husband's black glove, exclaimed, "I swear that looks like tiny, pink hearts!"

"It looks like it is," Xena whispered back to Gabrielle. "It's been so long! I had thought She might have forgotten about us."

Jack peered anxiously at the dust. "So it seems to be, Jareth, and you can call me Jack." He continued raising the bottle to his lips and took a swig. What was wrong with it? It didn't taste like his regular rum. It must be imported. He pointed the bottle towards Will, offering it to him.

Will was about to accept the bottle when the memory of Wolverine's announcement that Jack had a problem with rum stilled his hand. "Actually, I think I'll pass," he told Jack, his eyes gazing questioningly into his beloved's. "That stuff really isn't good for you."

"It might not be good for you, but it does good things for you," Jack said even as he took another swig. He wasn't about to give his bottle up to anybody else. If Will didn't want it, it was his loss! The rum seemed to taste better with the second sip. "Well, Jareth, I don't know what we have aboard. I've heard rumors of a Fairy."

Jareth shook his head. "I know Faeries," his gaze lifted to meet Jack's, "and believe me, what left this is no Fairy. You either have or had a Goddess aboard."

Jack had just taken another sip and almost choked on it. "A Goddess! Why my ship?"

Jareth paused, considering the question, but Delvira answered Jack instead. "Besides Wolf and my sister, have you had any other sudden couplings?"

Jack didn't rush into an explanation except to say, "Yes, ma'am, we have. Some strange ones at that." He added the last at the memory of Phoebe and Joxer's earlier antics.

"Well, it would appear . . . " Delvira started.

"That the Lady Aphrodite must have thought that you needed a little aid in the romance department," Jareth finished for his wife.

Angel, overhearing the conversation, informed them that he had just sent Blue to fetch Captain Xena as there had been an incident in the galley immediately before they had been sent into the Bog.

Xena looked at him. "What kind of incident?"

"Well . . . We had a couple attempting." He let his voice trail off. "These two would not normally have attempted it. One or both may have even been virgins," he whispered the last part.

Lorne overheard Angel's statement about the virgin and blushed red. "That's right, Angel!" he whispered to him so that only he should have been able to hear him. "Tell the whole damn ship!"

Elvira whimpered at that, and Crystal's gaze finally moved from Jareth. She looked first at the wolf, and then her surprised gaze narrowed in on her unsuspecting brother. "Angel!"

"I didn't!" Angel protested. "I just told the King, Queen, and the Captains."

"Gotta remember," Elvira spoke up from where she was still encircled by Wolf's arms. "I don't know how many of us do, but some can hear pretty damn well." Her black lips twitched as she struggled to keep from laughing. "I know I heard you loud and clear."

"Sorry, Lorne, but I didn't name names. You gave yourself away. They have to know. It was highly unusual. Then we all got knocked out. So if we have a Goddess aboard, that would mean . . . " He turned to look at Xena and Gabrielle. "You might know Her?"

"We might," Xena admitted. "Then we might not."

"Well, do you or don't you?" Jack asked.

"Depends," Gabrielle put in. "Exactly which Goddess are we talking about here?" Though she had heard Jareth name Aphrodite, she was still hoping to throw them off. "I mean, there's Discord, Athena, Hera . . ." She was really beginning to get started naming every Goddess other than Aphrodite when Jack broke her off.

"Well, we suspect Aphrodite. Isn't she the Goddess of Love?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Xena said. "We do know her, but it's been a long time. I thought She'd forgotten about us."

It was Jareth's words and true smile that surprised the lot then. "Trust me, madam; that Lady never forgets any lonely soul."

"That's true," Xena admitted, "and She did come aboard both ships. If you promise to be gentlemen, I will call Her and see if She answers."

Jack nodded. "I promise to behave. I'd like to see a Goddess. She must be something to behold!"

Xena looked at Jareth. "And you?"

"I would never do anything to offend Her. I . . . " he paused, glancing at Delvira whose hand he took in the hand that had been freed when he'd placed Salem back on the deck. "I thank Her every day of my life."

Xena called out in a loud, clear voice, "APHRODITE, IF YOU'RE ABOARD, PLEASE SHOW YOURSELF?"

An expected hush fell over the crowd that was exploded into by a scantily-clad, gorgeous blonde dressed all in pink and bubbling over with laughter. Some of the Pirates fell on the ground and covered their faces for they were too afraid to look upon Her. Jack stood, his feet planted firmly but his mouth hanging open. He had really expected nothing to happen and that some one had been playing a trick. Now that the beautiful Goddess had actually appeared, he was so stunned that he could think of nothing to say.

Xena rushed forward and hugged Aphrodite. "It's been so long, Ditey! Why didn't you come before now?"

"Well, you know how things are, Xena. I've been so busy! There's so many wars going on and so many people killing each other; there's just not enough love to go around!" She reached out, hugged Xena, and pulled Gabrielle to Her, as well. "I really got to missing you girls, so I tracked you. I haven't seen you since I helped you two to get together! There have been so many couples after you, but you were always my favorite!"

Jack finally got his mouth to working. "But why my ship? I can see Xena's with your old friends, but why mine?"

"Where do you want Me to start?" Aphrodite questioned him. "My seeing My old friends, wanting to drop by for a visit, then realizing that their anniversary is coming up next week, and I just couldn't let it go by without doing a little something for them? Or maybe with a certain two men who are too stubborn for their own good?" Her eyes met Jack's evenly as She said the last, a teasing smile lighting up her face even more.

Jack looked at Her again. This time, he dared to look straight in Her eyes and had to look away. He didn't ask who the two men were. He figured She'd tell him any way. "But what about the others?"

"Well, Little Mister Chicken," she said, referring to Will who was rather hiding behind Jack at the moment and was still far too shocked to do or say anything, "and you aren't the only ones who are too stubborn for your own good. I mean, really, there's Wolverine who doesn't trust any one, Angel and Brendan who think they don't deserve any one -- oh, and those delicious hunks of Demons too -- and that blonde who thinks every else is better off without her and -- "

Feeling that the babbling Goddess could carry on well into the night, Jack knew he had to interrupt. "I'm sure the world's full of other humans who are just as deserving as we are," he put in, "but why us?"

"Because to be quite frank," Aphrodite returned, one hand on Her hip, "out of the whole world, there's no other place with as many messed-up lives as aboard these two ships." She shrugged and winked as She added, "And, besides, none of the others would have mattered to My ladies here." She hugged Xena and Gabby again.

Xena returned Aphrodite's hug, as did Gabrielle. It was Xena who spoke for the both of them, however. "It's good to see You! We've missed You! Come over to our ship, and we can talk about old times."

Jack didn't know what to say. Aphrodite had pinpointed them, and he had to admit that She was right. "One more question. Does it wear off?"

"Now you see that one's a bit tricky," Ditey started with a wrinkle of Her nose. "Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. But not this time. The pairings I've helped to set up here would have happened with time regardless. I only sped things up. After all, if it'd been left up to you boys, Will would have ended up married to a woman and you would have wound up in Davy Jones' locker. And, yes," she added, feeling the surprise of those around her, "I do know some Pirate talk, thank you very much!"

"No, ma'am; thank You very much," Jack spoke reverently. "Without that added push, I would never have had the courage to gain the one thing I wanted more than anything else in life. I would have lost Will. Without him, life isn't worth living." He reached around and pulled Will to stand beside him. "And I won't have You thinking him a chicken. He's not. He's a very brave man. It's just very hard to let the one you love know how you feel." He breathed a sigh. "Thank you again. We won't let you down."

"Oh, you better not," Aphrodite informed him with a grin, "because if you do, I'll be back."

He pulled Will closer to his side and kissed him in front of the Gods and the world. His crew cheered, realizing that, at last, the two were together. When he looked up again, Aphrodite was gone, taking Xena and Gabrielle with Her, and Will had his eyes closed. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

A sigh fluttered from Will's lips as he slowly opened his eyes and gazed back up at Jack. "Oh, I'm much better than okay," he reassured him with a dazed smile for his air had still not completely returned from Jack's kiss. "I should have thanked Her, though."

"You already did," Aphrodite's voice returned to them though She Herself did not, "and Jack's right about another thing. You may act like a chicken at times, but You're braver than even You know."

"Oh, and I've a message for the little brunette who thinks She doesn't need anybody." Faith's eyes whipped around her. She'd barely silenced herself in time to keep the others from realizing that she, too, had cheered at the realization that Jack and Will were finally together. She knew nobody except Lex had heard her, so just what did this pesky Goddess want? "You do need them. You say there's strength in killing, but there's more in love. One way or another, you're going to find that out." Aphrodite's voice silenced as unexpectedly as it had began, leaving Faith to glare around at the others.


"Jareth, Delvira, I want you to meet my better half: Will Turner." Before they went any further together, he wanted to know how they would react to his love. That would greatly affect rather or not they would be friends and allies in the future. If they did not accept Will, Jack wanted no part of them.

Delvira smiled and started to speak, but Jareth beat her to it. With a smile, he extended his hand to Will. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Turner." As he shook Will's hand, he added, "I only hope that the two of you will find as much bliss in your union as I have with my Delvira."

Jack grinned. This looked very promising for all of their futures! "Shall we take that tour now?" he proposed.

"In just a moment," Jareth replied. Without looking behind him, he pointed a finger at Hoggle who had just opened a bottle of rum for no one other than himself. "Hogwart, do you want to return to the Bog?"

"NO, SIR!" the Dwarf screeched, releasing the bottle so that it rolled across the deck.

It stopped at Donkey's hooves. "Jackpot!" The excited word slipped from Donkey's mouth even as he grabbed the bottle with his mouth and started to drink.

"Now you may spend some time with your cousin," Jareth informed Hoggle, "but should I have any reason to complain over you, you will be returned to the Bog posthaste, savvy?"

"Yes, sir!" With that, Hoggle ran and Jareth turned his attention back to Jack. He started to speak but stopped as he realized that he was being stared at. He turned his head, and this time, his eyes met with a pair of angry, ice blue eyes. "Am I going to have to send you back there again?"

"Try it," Crystal seethed.

Angel reached out and touched Crys' arm. "Crys, don't," he asked her pleadingly. Everything had been going so well, and he couldn't bare the fact that she was about to get thrown back to the galley again. "He apologized already to the Captains."

"I know," she returned. "To the Captains. I haven't heard one word -- "

Jareth stopped her short. He had already taken in the men standing to either side of her as well as the three animals that surrounded her. He did not know their names so called to them instead by their species, "To the dragon, the wolf -- Not you," he glanced at Wolf. "Hers," he added, looking back at the lupine Elvira. "The cat -- er, lioness," he corrected, remembering the catpeople. "And the two to either side of you. You each have my deep apo -- apo -- apol -- Damn it, not again!"

"He's trying to say he's sorry," Delvira explained for her husband.

Crystal eyed him questioningly. "Precisely," Jareth agreed. Crys hesitated, considering his words, then looked to those who were gathered around her. If they accepted his apology, she would let it slide . . . this time.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Angel said followed quickly by Lorne's thanks. Blue cooed, and Elvira nodded her head in acceptance. Cindy remained silent, however.

"Coo coo coo coo!" Blue quickly informed them.

Delvira cocked her head to one side as she listened to the dragon. She thought she understood what he was trying to tell them but was not certain. Looking at the lioness, she asked, "Do you hate men?" Cindy nodded. "Then would you please accept my apology," Delvira humbly requested, "from one woman who has to keep her man straight to another woman who has to keep the men in her life in line?" A catish smile spread over the lioness' face at that, and an audible sigh of relief could be heard generating from more than one pair of lips.

That was the first time Angel found out that Cindy hated men. He knew he'd have to watch her in the future.

Lorne thought, If Cindy hates men, why was it Elvira that bit me in the butt? He'd keep his eye on that cat just in case. One never knew about cats.

Jareth's eyes met Crystal's. "And, most of all, madam, I ap -- apo -- apol -- " He sighed. "You-know for having caused any harm to your family whatsoever."

She watched him warily, the denial that all were her family on the tip of her tongue, but did not speak. Instead, she only nodded her acceptance.

"Shall we continue on our tour?" Jack asked Jareth, hoping there wouldn't be any more outbursts. He clung to Will's hand to make sure that Will went with him.

Will could feel Jack's nervousness but was not sure where it steamed from. He entwined his fingers with Jack's in silent reassurance that he was not going anywhere.

Jareth turned his attention back to the Captain and his lover, his own arm sneaking out to wrap around Delvira's slender waist and pull her closer. "Yes, let's begin," he quietly corrected Jack. He hoped he would find the ship to his liking as he already had its crew.

"Before today, we were mostly males aboard the ship, and we had an open sleeping quarters. As soon as we get to Tortuga, I am going to have my carpenter get lumber and separate the quarters. If nothing else, the females will all be together in one section. He's a very smart young man; I'll have to put it to him. I am sure that there will be those who wish to share their sleeping quarters with their partner, such as your sister-in-law, but hers will be the first built. We have a group of four sisters who will be next on the list; they definitely need to be protected." His voice trailed off, and the crew returned to work.


As the others left, Wolf released Elvira and moved to face her instead. "We need to talk, but I must get my clothes first so that I can return Jareth's cloak. Stay here, and I'll be back." Without another word, he headed off for the crow's nest. He hoped that his clothes were still in tact.

Elvira's words stuck in her throat as Wolf left her. She turned, watching his departing back with sad eyes. She knew he was furious with her. She shouldn't care, she told herself. After all, wasn't he just a good screw, even if he was the best she'd ever had? Yet she did care, and her heart felt as though there was a knife in it.

Yipping met her ears, and she turned toward it to find Gonk racing at her. She knelt and gathered him in her arms. "Hey, baby. Where've you been?" He licked her face, but no smile crossed her black lips.

"Mommy's screwed up again." Wolf had told her to stay, but even then she was walking away from the spot he'd left her at, her eyes drawn to Jareth's ship. "Maybe that's all this was: a screw-up." She looked questioningly down at Gonk. "What do you think?" The poodle only stared at her in response, and she sighed.


Clark finally spotted Lex, and a smile came to his lips. Still holding tightly to the children's hands, he walked toward him. "Lex, I missed you. What in the world has been going on while we were napping?"

Faith had still been standing next to Lex when Clark had called out to him. She glanced at him as he approached with the kids, then turned her attention to Lex. "I'll catch ya, Luthor," she coldly spoke. She was gone before he could say one word. With the danger passed, her thoughts were already returning to Dawson, and she had no intention of hanging around any one, let alone children, until she could stop the annoying thoughts that seemed to be eating away at all her common sense.

Lex stifled a sigh. He wished there was something that he could do to help Faith but knew from past experience that there really was not, at least not yet. Turning his attention back to his lover and the children, he smiled. "Crazy story," he answered with a grin. "Not really long but definitely crazy."

"We had a bit of an accident when the spin happened," Clark told him. "Sarah got sick, and I realized we haven't washed clothes in ages. I couldn't find a single clean shirt! The kids only have the clothes they were wearing when we rescued them, so I borrowed one of your shirts. I hope it was okay."

"You should know it was," Lex reassured him with a gentle smile. He knelt down and opened his arms to Sarah; she flew into them. "Are you feeling better now, Sarah?" he asked her. She nodded. Lex was getting worried, because no matter what he asked Sarah, she never said a word. He wanted to get Brendan to check her out, but things had been happening too fast.

He reached out and tousled Julian's hair. "Looks like you two need a bath, as well. Actually, make that all of us," Lex said. He dared not smell his pit for he couldn't remember when he'd had a bath last. Was that only yesterday? It seemed like a million light-years ago!

"I don't know anything about bathing kids," Lex admitted as he stood back up, holding Sarah. "Maybe we can get one of the women to help us?" He knew better than to ask Faith. She'd take them out and drown them. He glanced around at the ladies who were still on deck. "Katrina, could I ask a great big favor?"

"Sure, Lex." She liked the young man and would do what she could to help him.

"Could you teach Clark and me how to wash kids? We all need a bath, but the kids need it really bad. Sarah was sick."

"Tell you what, Lex. Let us take the kids for a while. You and Clark go get a bath. I hate to tell you, Clark, but you really smell," she informed him, her nose wrinkling in his direction. "We'll take the kids, and you can come get them later." She figured that would give the boys a little time alone together, something they both desperately needed.

Clark nodded. He thought that would be a great thing to happen. "We still need to learn how to wash them."

"Tomorrow," Katrina assured him, hoping that Celina would have some ideal, more than she did, about how to wash kids. Her sister had kittensitted a few times, but she did not even have that much exposure to children. After all, she had been a Starship Captain, and there had never been any kids on her starship.

Julian looked at the catwoman. "Pretty," he said as he reached out toward her. She leaned down and picked him up.

"Thank you, Julian. Let's go have some fun and get a bath." She thought that sounded inane to even her own ears. Fun? Bath? There was no way that that could be! She didn't like baths either.

Celina smiled at Lex and held her arms out for Sarah. "We'll take good care of them, Lex. Come and get them after you two are done. We'll have them all nice and clean for you."

"Thank you so much," Lex and Clark said together, "for everything." They were both excited because, at last, they would get a chance to be alone.

Katrina looked around for Tom and noticed that both he and Morph were missing. "Figures," she said. "Neither one of our guys are anywhere around."

"It would have been nice if they had at least got us some water!" Celina complained to the air. The sisters headed off for the sleeping quarters. When they got there, they were surprised to find two tubs of water and lit lanterns waiting, yet there was still no sign of their husbands. They shook their heads but turned their attention back to the children.


It only took Wolf seconds to reach the top of the crow's nest, and he picked his clothes up. Thankfully, the pants were in tact, but the shirt looked as though it had blown apart from the inside out. Had he wolfed? He couldn't remember. Elvira and he had had so many wonderful encounters that he didn't even remember how many times they had actually done it. In fact, they would still be up there doing it if Jareth had never appeared on the scene.

Why did she not tell him that her sister was Helvira? Did she really think he would not know who she was? He couldn't get over how close Delvira and Elvira resembled each other. They were identical, even down to their scent, for he had sniffed Delvira as he waited in front of Jareth. If those two smelled the same, then he had to believe what Jareth said was true. Helvira was just as identical to them as they were to each other.

He wondered if Elvira had not told him simply because she was afraid that he wouldn't want her any more. That certainly wasn't the case! Wolf thought even as the mere ideal of her caused him to get hard once again. He angrily tried to shake his feelings down. What if, in truth, she had turned out to be Helvira instead of Elvira? She was a woman. Didn't she have to have sex, too? Being the triplet of the other two, she would have an equally deep sexual appetite.

His voice had been scathing when he had talked to Elvira minutes before, and it worried him. He hoped he had not hurt her so much that she wouldn't speak to him, but he had to know why she had not told him. He had come very close to betraying his Captain, something he would have rather died than to ever do. He didn't want to lose Elvira.

Gods, women were so complicated! Even when they burnt you up and put you in Heaven one second, they burned you up and put you in Hell the next! He wrapped the cloak around himself once again and dropped the shirt out of the crow's nest to the deck. He began to descend.

"Hey!" a voice called up to him in protest. "Watch where you throw those things!" Brendan snatched Wolf's shirt off of his head, and his nose wrinkled as it passed by his face. "When was the last time you had a bath, any way?"

"Yesterday, I think. Sorry about falling on you earlier." He stepped onto the deck, took his shirt, balled it up, and threw it into one of the rubbish bins.

"Wolf, I . . . " Brendan's nervous eyes skirted around the ship, looking at anything but Wolf. "I need to talk to you . . ."

"This sounds serious, Brendan. What can I help you with?" He looked at Brendan. "I'll do anything I can." He wondered if something had turned up bad on the tests Brendan had given him.

"I need to know something, but I'm afraid it's very personal." He raked a nervous hand through his thick hair before daring to look questioningly at Wolf. "How . . . How do you do it?"

Wolf thought for a minute. "How do I do what, Brendan? You seem very upset. What's wrong? There's no one around that can hear, including Carl, because I saw him heading off with his cousin a while ago. I don't smell anybody besides us."

"Well, it's sort of a long story or maybe . . . maybe not really . . . " Brendan's words stumbled over themselves as he tried to explain his situation to Wolf. "I . . . There's a . . . One of the new women aboard . . . She kissed me today . . . "

"I heard about that," Wolf interrupted, "and you wolfed. Jack had to knock you out. I'm not surprised. You are a virgin, aren't you?" He looked straight into Brendan's eyes, wondering if the kid would deny it or not.

Brendan nodded. "I am. I never . . . I never thought I could . . . you-know . . . without . . . without killing . . . eating . . . the woman . . . but . . . you manage it."

"Well, as you say, it's a long story. I, too, could not control myself in the beginning, not until I met a very special woman. She was a very beautiful Gypsy. I followed her everywhere in my man form, but my wolf form was drawn to her, as well. On full moons, I lingered outside her tent, just smelling and wanting her. I thought I would die of the want, but I dared not touch her. I knew I'd eat her. That's what our kind are best known for. I didn't want to eat her, not in that way."

"She was aware of me, although I thought she was not, and she approached the man part of me. She told me that the only way we could do it would be if I got myself under control. Well, I had no clue as to how to do that, but she knew everything."

"She was my first lover. We had to be very careful and work on it together. She chained me securely, and when I turned . . . " he paused for a minute, " . . . she made love to me. Not the man part. The wolf part. Now you would have thought that I would have ripped those chains apart and torn her limb from limb, but I didn't. Even as we made it a second time, I changed from the wolf into the man. We made love the rest of the night."

"From that moment to this, I have had control." He looked at Brendan. "It's what worked for me, kid. It will work for you, too, but the woman has to be willing. She has to take charge without fear in her heart. There has to be love."

Brendan's skin was paled at the realization of what Wolf had just told him, and his eyes displayed his fear clearly. He managed to keep his voice firm when he spoke, however. "Thank you." He hoped that Wolf would not sense his emotions but could not help them for now he knew the truth beyond any further shadow of a doubt. Jack had been wrong, and he had been right. He could not ask Prue to make love to his wolf; he could never allow it even if she would want to. He could never place her in that kind of danger. He was going to be a wolf forever, would never be able to be with Prue, and would die a virgin.

Wolf looked at Brendan's head hanging down. "You don't think she loves you enough to want to do your wolf, or do you not love her enough to ask? Brendan, you can't just hang it up, and yes, I know what you're thinking for I thought the same thing. She got me drunk, chained me, and took care of it all in one night. We spent three days making love after that. I'd be with her now, but I can't. If Prue loves you, she will gladly do it. You need to talk to her. Or do you just want to throw everything away?"

Brendan shook his head. "It is not that I want to throw everything away, my friend," he explained, slowly raising his eyes to look into Wolf's, "but I can not ask her to do that. Even if she would, I could not allow it. I will not put her in harm's way, but . . . I do thank you for telling me."

"There will come a time, Brendan, that you will not want to be anywhere near her. And don't tell me it's there now. I'm a wolf just like you are. I know what you're feeling. At that time, your desire for her will overpower you. I'll know when it is for wolves can feel it in each other. I'll come and be with you."

"Any time you want to talk, you have but to approach me. We'll go somewhere so that nobody can hear, but I want you to think this over. If you are chained, you can't possibly hurt her, and although wolves are bigger than humans, we're not anything that certain women can't handle. She might just be one of those. Elvira certainly is." He clasped Brendan to him in a bear hug. "Any time, day or night, Brendan, you need me, let me know. I've got to get back to Elvira now. I said some angry words to her earlier. I'm looking forward to making up with her."

Brendan nodded in understanding though he already knew that he could never allow Prue to make love to his wolf, not even with chains for there was always a chance that they might break. Yet when Wolf spoke to him of Elvira, he looked at him with questions in his eyes. "I'm confused," he admitted. "If you want to be with the Gypsy, why are you with Elvira?"

"My Gypsy was killed a long time ago by evil humans. I killed them. I ran away and was being hunted by the townsfolk. They didn't care that Melinda was killed. They thought nothing of her life, but the three that killed her were leading townsmen. They wanted my head on a platter. Jack saved my unworthy hide and brought me to the Pearl."

Brendan smiled sadly at Wolf's words about Jack's rescue of Wolf's "unworthy hide". He could not even begin to count the number of times he had thought the same, but he knew that Wolf was worthy though he himself was not and Jack would argue that they both were. "He's good at that," he agreed. He then sobered. "I am sorry that you lost her, but thank you, Wolf." He again hugged him.

"I am sorry for the loss of her, as well, my friend, but I am very thankful for her. She was one Hell of a woman. I have observed your Prue. I think she is, too. Remember, if you need me . . . "

Brendan nodded. "I'll howl."

"And I'll run like the wind," Wolf said. He smiled at Brendan even as he left him to seek for Elvira.


Upon reaching their sleeping quarters, Lex looked around at the disarray. Clothes were scattered everywhere. He picked up one shirt and smelled it. Holding his nose, he said, "Phew! It has been a while since we've washed. We'd better do that first as we may not even have a clean pair of pants to put on."

Clark nodded. Since leaving the others, he had fallen quiet. While they had been with the kids, he had had to fight to keep in control of his emotions and had managed to concentrate on them rather than what had happened, but now all he could think of was the auction and the lives he had taken.

Lex gathered the clothes up together into a pile and stuffed them into a bag. Then he pushed Clark down on the bed. "We'd best talk here. The other places might have people, and we have things that have to be said. Do you want to talk first, or do you want me to start?" He turned Clark around slightly and began to massage his back. He couldn't believe how tense he was.

Silence reigned for a long moment before Clark finally admitted softly, "I can't get it out of my head, Lex. I can't stop thinking about them, stop hearing the screams . . . " He struggled to keep the tears in his eyes from falling.

"Don't take credit for all those screams," Lex softly chided him. "In truth, you hit very few people. The rest of us were having a really good time taking care of the jerks. The only one I actually saw you hit was the one that was about to kill Will. Julian said you killed the ones that were trying to rape Sarah. So you did nothing wrong, my love, but in fact, saved three very wonderful people, none of whom would be alive now if you had not killed their attackers." He continued to massage Clark's back. He felt his shoulders shake and knew that he was fighting tears. He gently kissed him on the back of the neck.

"It's not right," Clark protested quietly. "I didn't want them to die, Lex, but I didn't want to kill any one either. There had to have been another way, but we didn't even get the chance to see if there was. And just what the heck caused fire to come out of my eyes, any way! What if it happens again?"

Lex stopped massaging Clark and pulled his back up against his chest, encircling him with his arms. "You know you have strange powers, Clark. When they started kicking in, they weren't scary, just amazing. Each of them has been a gift in what it can enable you to do. We don't know how many powers you may have laying dormant in there, and we don't know when they're going to kick in. This one caught us unawares, but it was needed just the same. There was no way we could have reached any of those attackers in time to save Will and the kids. Your speed might have enabled you to save one of them, but all three of them? I don't think so."

"You were never able to control any of the powers when they first kicked in. Some of them were fun while learning how to use them, but this one is scary as Hell. Don't let it make you think that I'm going to run out on you. I'm always going to be here for you, Clark." Lex kissed the back of his head and then turned Clark around to face him. "No matter what you do or even if you try to make me leave you, I'm never going to leave you, and together we can face anything, even your fire power."

Clark's brain knew that Lex was right and that they could not have saved the others if not for his fire, but his heart still refused to stop feeling guilty for the deaths that he had caused. His teary eyes slowly raised to Lex's, and he could see both his love and the truth of his words in his beloved's gaze. He could also see his fear, however, and knew that he was just as scared as he was. He raised a hand to gently cup his face even as he spoke. "Lex, fire isn't something that can be played with. We both know that, and by Gods, I don't . . . I don't want to cause what Lionel almost did. I never would willingly, but I can't control it."

He gently stroked Clark's face. It was a face he loved waking up to every morning and hoped to for the rest of his life. "Clark, you're not going to hurt the ones you love. I know that, and deep down, you know that. What my Father did bothers me greatly. You know I lost my brother in that fire. You would never do anything like that. I know it, but you have to know it in here." He gently touched him on his heart. "Believe in yourself, Clark, as I believe in you. Trust yourself as I trust you."

"We will watch for the fire power together. It is something to be leery of, but that doesn't mean that you can't get it under control. When we get to Tortuga, we'll practice it away from others so that no one can get hurt. You have to get to where you'll be comfortable with it and not fear it. Gods only know what great miracles you might pull off with it." He brushed his hair back out of his face. He kissed him gently on his forehead, then the tip of his nose, and finally his lips.

Even as Clark returned Lex's kiss in full, his lips parting under his so that their tongues could spark a duet, he could not keep the fear from his mind or heart. He knew that Lex believed in him just as much as he believed in Lex, but to believe in himself was another thing entirely. He knew he would never willingly hurt Lex or any of the others, for that matter, but he also knew that he could not control his fire power. What if it kicked in, without warning, while they were out here at sea? It could only spell their doom if it did.

Lex had read many books in the past, and now, suddenly, in the midst of kissing Clark, he broke off. "You remember that book I got in port last time? The one about the blind guy who had the strange vision caused by heat and the glasses that he had especially made for himself that shielded his eyes? Just a thought, but Doctor Doom might be able to make you a pair. When I put the shirt on you, your eyes quit shooting fire. The glasses might have the same effect. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Clark nodded. "I'll try anything." He had wanted some time alone with Lex so desperately that his body ached for his lover's, but they also needed to figure out something to do about the fire. It was then that another thought occurred to him: What if his latest power kicked in during the midst of making love to Lex? He paled at that thought and barely managed to keep his voice from shaking as he asked, "Why don't we go find him and see what he thinks?"

Lex, whose own body had been throbbing excessively from the lack of Clark, whispered, "Later," and pushed Clark back on the cot. The cot was just big enough to hold the both of them. He kissed Clark on both of his closed eyes and then worked his way down to the first button on his shirt which he opened with his teeth. He then kissed the newly exposed area.

"Lex, maybe . . . maybe this isn't exactly . . . exactly the best time . . . "

"Any time's the best time, darling," Lex said as he worked the next button loose. He couldn't tell yet if Clark's sword was rising to the occasion, but his was so stiff that it was threatening to burst his pants. This time when the shirt opened, he licked him.

Lex's every touch was boiling Clark's blood ever more, but still his fear persisted. He kept his eyes tightly shut even as his hands reached out, groping blindly for any kind of cloth that he could tie around his eyes.

Lex, realizing what Clark was trying to do, came back up to his lips. He kissed Clark's eyelids again. "Open your eyes, beloved. I want you to look at me. Believe what I am telling you. You're not going to hurt me. You're exhausted; your power will not kick in now. Maybe when you've rested, and don't think I believe you were napping this afternoon. You caught me talking to Faith, and you backed up, didn't you, thinking I didn't see you? But I felt you. You can't get near me, Clark, without my feeling you. You're in my blood. Your blood calls to me, and mine calls to you. Don't you feel it?"

Though Clark still refused to open his eyes, his right hand found Lex's face, and he caressed him. "Of course I do! I love you, Lex, but I don't want to risk hurting you!" A smile toyed with his lips, however, as he admitted, "And you're right. I wasn't sleeping, but you needed time with her. If I'd made myself known, she would have cussed us out and ran like the wind."

He laid down beside Clark, pulling him into his arms. "I don't know why she is like she is, Clark. She's her own worst enemy, but she cares about both of us. She's helped us a lot in the past. She just doesn't want credit for it. I don't know what to do to make you open your eyes, but you can't go around with them closed all the time. You had them open on deck. Why won't you open them now?"

"Lex, when I . . . When the fire kicked in, it was because I saw that guy about to kill you. I was desperate to reach you, and the fire came with the emotions. What if . . . What if that's what triggers it?"

"I think it's triggered by intense anger, so unless you're angry with me about something, Clark, why would you fire at me? Are you mad at me?"

His arm wrapped around Lex, squeezing him in a gentle hug to his side. "I'm not mad at you, love," he reassured him.

"Then open your eyes. I want to look into them when I make love to you." He pushed Clark back onto his back and rose above him, still looking at his closed eyes.

"But what if it's not anger? What if it's any intense emotion?"

"Trust me, Clark." He leaned down and kissed him. "If that was the case, then it would have probably kicked in sooner. How many times have we touched and the emotion not been so strong that it threatened to melt us? And how many times have you been so angry that you felt like you were about to explode and yet felt helpless at the same time?" He lay half on Clark and half on the cot, looking at his eyes and willing them to open.

Lex's words made sense, Clark realized. Every time Lex so much as touched him, heat unlike any other shot through him, but although he'd also been furious before, he had never felt both as angry and helpless as he had when he had seen his beloved about to be killed that day. Could it be? Could Lex be right and that was what caused it? He dared to lift his eyes slowly, sensing for the heat that had rushed into them earlier that day. No sign of the hot feeling that had encased his eyes when the fire had shot from them came, and eventually, Clark found himself gazing back into Lex's beautiful eyes. A smile lit up his face.

Lex wanted to crow in triumph! Clark had opened his eyes! "Your eyes are so beautiful, Clark; I get lost in them every time I look into them. The love in them overwhelms me, especially knowing that it's all for me! It makes me feel blessed every day; you make me feel blessed every day!" He leaned down, reverently took Clark's lips gently at first, and then deepened the kiss as he felt the heat rush over him.


Elvira stood at the Pearl's railing, her haunted black eyes focused on Jareth's ship, Delvira's Delight. Perhaps the best thing she could do was to just go across? They could always drop her off at the next port.

"Hey, baby!" a voice called to her. "Come on over!"

"Yeah," another added, "we can play a game!"

She glanced at the creatures that called to her in time to see a head bobbing up and down in the air and grinning at her. "Come on, hot stuff!"

She glared at them. "Go to Hell!"

"Aw! Come on! That ain't the way to play!"

Elvira growled at them, then tore her eyes away. Perhaps if she ignored them, they'd go away. They continued to call to her, and Gonk began to bark at them.


The first thing Wolf heard was Gonk barking madly at something orange bouncing up and down. The creatures weren't actually touching the ship, but they were very close to it. They began to call to him. "Hey, man! Take off your head! We can play!"

"Take off your head," Wolf growled as he reached out, snatched one of their heads, and threw it as far as he could. The rest of them raced madly after it, trying to catch it. Turning back in the direction he had been headed, he saw Elvira standing with her back to him and leaning on the railing. "Hey, beautiful," he called to her. He kept walking toward her, hoping she'd turn around.

"Hello." Her tone was formal and tight, and she kept her eyes focused on the other ship and her back turned to him. Gods, she should have just went ahead while she'd had the chance! Playing with the Fieries would have been easier than facing Wolf at the moment. She gathered Gonk more tightly to her bosom.

He walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her, and nuzzled her neck. "Forgive me, sweetheart, for being so grouchy earlier. I was puzzled why you didn't tell me about your sister, and I felt that I almost betrayed Jack. I don't want to lose you, Elvira!" There was a cry in his voice. "I love you!" He nuzzled her neck again.

Those three words caused her to jump away from him. She whirled so that her back pressed against the railing, and her eyes looked at him in alarm. "Whoa! Hold on right there, lover boy!"

"Now what did I say wrong?" Wolf asked, reluctantly letting her go.

She wielded Gonk between them as though the poodle was a shield. "Wolf, I thought . . . I thought we were just, you know, bed mates . . . "

"If that's what you want. I'll take you any way that you'll give yourself to me, but I can't help what's in my heart." He looked at her pleadingly like a lost little puppy.

His gaze melted her, forcing the tenseness in her body to relax to the point that she nearly dropped Gonk. How could he love her? she wondered. "You barely know me," she choked out. "What makes you think you love me?"

"Put the dog down. Come here," he directed.

She looked at him suspiciously. She lowered Gonk gently to the deck but did not step any closer.

He stepped closer to her instead, reached out, took her hand, and placed it on his heart. "Do you feel that? It hasn't beat that well for a long time. In fact, I thought I might even be dying until I met you. You make every part of me alive. Every part of me wants you." He lowered her hand so that she could feel his sword. "How could I not love you? You make me want to live and love again." His eyes connected with hers, and he tried to send the love he was feeling for her through his gaze.

Her hand felt the bulge of his mighty sword through his pants. Perhaps she could distract him? she wondered. Take his mind away from all this insane talk about love? She started to caress him, but her fingers froze as he gazed at her with such adoration in his eyes. No man had ever looked at her that way before, and his gaze shot straight to her heart. "Wolf, I . . . I don't . . . know what to say . . ."

He lifted her hand and kissed it. "Why are you so afraid of some one loving you? You're very easy to love. I never get enough of you." He could not believe the heat surging through his body nor that his sword still wanted Elvira. They had been doing it all day, and yet it was ready, willing, and able to go again!

"Wolf, I've never . . . never really had a steady man in my life. Actually, I've never had any one steady in my life except for Delvira and Gonk. Look at me," she told him. "Yes, I'm beautiful, but I'm also a ghoul. They get or take what they want, and then, when they no longer want me, they run like Hell or . . . or . . . " Her voice trailed off, and her eyes dropped from his, turning instead to the deck.

"Or what?" he asked, his eyes still locked on her luscious body. "What happens to them?"

"There was one once. We'd been at it for a while, but I didn't realize that he was . . . that he had it as bad for me as he did. He . . . He asked me to marry him, and I told him I didn't know, that I had to think about it. When I got home the next morning, he was . . . he was in my bed. He was . . . He was dead, Wolf." Tears clouded both her vision and words. "And that's when I first met Helvira."

"She killed him?" he questioned. "I've met her before on several occasions, and none of them were very pleasant. I was with Jack when he took Brendan away from her. She almost killed Jack, but I managed to divert her weapon. I got this for my efforts." He pointed to the scar that was on his right breast. "It was an awful wound, but Jack stayed right with me and doctored me. He had his hands full, because he had Brendan and myself and we were both out of our heads. I'm not scared of the bitch for myself. I'm scared of her hurting Jack or Brendan again. I was kind of . . . startled to find out that she was your sister. Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I'd turn against you?" He held on to her, knowing that she would run from him if she could.

"Wolf . . . " Slowly, her eyes raised to met his again, and questions shone past her tears that did not fall. "Wolf, if you met her before, why didn't you think I was her? We look exactly alike. We smell exactly alike. She's tricked many into thinking that she was us. Mack thought that she was me; she screwed him before killing him. She even tricked Jareth and almost succeeded in not only killing him but taking over his Kingdom, as well."

"Maybe because of Gonk -- no four-leggers will get anywhere near her -- and maybe because the wolf in me could tell that you were not her? The spark in you wasn't the same. All the others she's messed with are basically human to begin with. Only Brendan and I were different. If he had met you with Gonk, he would have known that you were not her, but Gonk was nowhere to be seen at his first sighting of you."

Wolf looked around for Gonk and noticed that he was sitting by Elvira's feet. "Thank you, Gonk, for bringing my lady to me."

"Now how I will tell you apart in the future, if Gonk's not around, I don't know. Maybe we need some kind of special message for each other, and when we meet, we whisper it to each other so that no one else knows what it is? What do you think, love?"

She was still puzzled. "That's sort of what Jareth and Delvira use now, so it'd probably work. But didn't you even think about her when you saw me? You keep wondering why I didn't tell you, but how was I supposed to know that you knew her? You could have mentioned her just as easily as I could have."

"I pretended that you didn't look like her, that you were just you. I didn't think that you had anything to do with her nor that it was possible that she could track you down. She's always hunting for Jack, so I would not have been surprised if she had appeared behind or near him. If I had let my brain take over, I would have probably ran away from you just in case you were her, but I knew that Gonk would not be hanging with her and he seemed to be glued to you when I found you. I also knew that she would not be amongst the Witches needing rescuing. In fact, she was at the auction; Jack fought with her again and took her heart."

She nodded. "I heard him telling Jareth about that. Wolf, I swear, if I had known you knew her, I would have said something, but I didn't! I had no way of knowing, and really, what am I supposed to do, go running around and telling everybody I meet that hey, knowing me could get them killed?"

"Let's put it behind us, darling. I have no intention of you running around telling anybody anything about that bitch. I do want to introduce you properly to Jack, though. I don't want him to be drunk one night, spot you, and think that you're Helvira. He'd kill you before I had the chance to defend you! Gods, you're beautiful!" He breathed in her scent. "How could something so awful as your sister be so like you? Was it a spell or perhaps a curse? What did your parents tell you?"

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head. "Wolf, Delvira, Helvira, and I are the only ones left of our family or, at least, we are as far as we know. We didn't even know . . . Well, Delvira and I didn't even know about each other growing up. I don't know when Helvira learned of us."

"You're orphans?" he asked. "You're all Sorceresses. Perhaps your parents were in danger and broke the three of you apart to protect you. Whoever got a hold of Helvira must have been evil and raised her to be evil." He held her close to him, so close that he could feel her heartbeat against his. It was much slower than his. He didn't know if that was because he was a wolf and his heartbeat was faster than humans or because she was half-Vamp, but he did know that her heartbeat reassured his own heart.

"Now, sweetheart, we're going to put your sister into the past. I'm going to put you and what you're feeling now in the present. I need to know how you feel about me. You reacted so strangely when I said I love you that you must not feel that way about me, so I want you to tell me what our relationship is to be."

There was a long pause before she finally spoke again. "Wolf, I . . . I don't think I can do that, because I don't know myself. Like I told you before, I've never had any one steady in my life except for Delvira and Gonk. I'm not saying I'm a virgin, because I'm not. Gods know I've been around, but it's never been as good as it is with you and I've never really felt anything deeper than just the basic Hey-I-like-you-let's-screw-each-other's-brains-out before. But with you . . . " She raised her eyes to gaze into his. "There's something different, something I've never felt before, and I don't know what it is."

"Do you want me to go away?" His words stumbled out.

"No!" The exclamation slipped from her lips before he had even finished his last word. "It'd probably be safer for you, but no. I just . . . I don't know what's going on here." Her pale forehead creased with confusion. "Just the thought of you burns me, but I feel for you too."

"Just the thought of you burns me, as well, my love. I'm not going anywhere, not unless you tell me to. Then it won't be far. I was not a virgin when we met today. I was in love once, but she was killed. I have not actively pursued females. I never felt comfortable with it until we had what we had today. We fit perfectly, as though our bodies were made for each other. I feel very uncomfortable and my skin itches when I'm away from you, but the closer I get to you, the more it centralizes into one big itch that only you can scratch. In fact, I'm itching for you now, but I don't want to rush you. I feel as though I should be satiated and worn out, but I just can't seem to get enough. Yet we've cum together every time. You fulfill my every need. You fill me with more heat and passion than I've ever felt before. I fear that if I lose you, I will shrivel up and die for after having lived with you in my arms, only death would await me should I lose you." He nibbled her ear.

Elvira had never been good at talking about feelings or even considering them for that matter, but now, for Wolf, she tried. "Wolf, when you were angry with me earlier, I -- I thought I'd screwed up. I do a lot of that, and I don't usually care. I'm a woman who tells the world to go to Hell unless I want something from it at the moment. But . . . A while ago, when I thought whatever's building between us had been lost, it hurt like a . . . like a knife driven deep in my heart. I don't know what's going on here. I don't know what these feelings are, but I know I don't want to lose you."

"Shall we go to the crow's nest, darling? I don't want to share you with the world, but I do want to swim within you again. I want to dive so deeply into you that we are totally one!"

She smiled at him even as she slid closer, her hips cradling and sliding against his sword. "Then you'd better hurry, lover," she whispered against his lips before taking them with her own. Her black nails dragged warningly against his pants.

"Wrap your legs around me; I'll carry you up," he murmured against her lips.

Without wasting a single word more, she jumped up, her long legs entwining around his waist. Her lips left his to begin a trail of heated kisses down his neck.

He leaped toward the rigging and began pulling them towards the crow's nest. Each time he moved upward, his sword surged against her and grew even larger.

As they tumbled into the crow's nest together, Elvira's fingernails again found his pants. This time, there was a popping sound. Freed from the fabric, Wolf's sword sprang home.

To Be Continued . . .