Chapter Thirty-nine
Ororo had been searching for Logan who had slipped away from her while she had gone to check on her godchildren. She had only found Phoebe and Paige at the time, but they had assured her that Piper and Prue were both faring well and indeed, by some miracle, seemed to be rather happy. Pleased with the news, she had returned to hunting for Logan at the same time as her mind had wondered over the feelings that he continued to spark in her. She had never felt something as strong as the emotions one touch from him sent sweeping through her, but she also knew that it was far too soon for such, that she should not allow her heart to follow down that weary trail again, and that she should be in grieving for her friends. She had still been searching for Logan when she had nearly stumbled across Clark and Will in the darkness. She had heard the boys' whispered conversation, and their words of Logan's actions with Faith had filled her with anger and sent her to the sky.
She was still flying amongst the lightning bolts sparked by her anger and scanning the decks for Wolverine when she caught sight of Prue instead. Her concern for her goddaughter instantly overpowered her anger, and she dropped lightly to the deck. "Prue?" she called.
Prue looked up at her Aunt 'Ro with tears in her eyes. She had swiped angrily at them, but they refused to stop falling. "Oh, it's just so useless!" she said to 'Ro. "Why do we always fall in love with those that don't really want us, don't want to fight for us? That Brendan is such a jerk!" she spat the words out. "I'm willing to do anything because I love him! He won't deny that he loves me, but he's not willing to do anything about it! He keeps saying he's going to wolf out and eat me. It's just that we are at cross-threads with each other! I'll do anything, Auntie 'Ro! I just want to be with him so badly! And how can this be? We just met today, and yet I feel like I've known him forever!" She gazed into her aunt's eyes, hoping she would have the answer.
As always, Ororo chose her words carefully. "I wish I could answer all your questions, my child, but the truth is that I, too, have wondered about that. I know of you and Brendan and have seen even Piper falling head over heels. I do not think they have weaved a spell over us," she said with a shake of her head, "but I can not explain it. Even I have been having . . . similar . . . problems . . . with that . . . that . . . " A blast of thunder drowned out her next word, and a sheepish look of apology passed over her face as she faced her goddaughter. "But Brendan is not like the others. He is a Werewolf, and being such while also being good must come with its worries. He truly fears that he will hurt you. Neither of us know why he clings to that belief, but he does. Perhaps . . . You can speak lupine. Perhaps you should try speaking with Wolf or Elvira, see what they think, if they can shed some light on just why he is so fearful?"
Prue dried her eyes. "I'll go look for Wolf now. See if he minds talking to me." She gave her aunt a hug. "I hope you'll find your Wolverine soon, and please don't kill him, Auntie 'Ro. Give him a chance to answer. He might be innocent of whatever you think he's done."
Ororo stroked Prue's long hair lovingly as she returned the young woman's hug. "I wish that might be so, Prue, but I see no reason for those boys to have lied. They did not even know I was there . . . "
"Boys? Who?" Prue asked.
"I believe their names are Clark and Will. Will was in search of one of the Captains when he ran into Wolverine . . . with Faith . . . "
"Still, he might not have understood what he thought he saw. I liked what I saw of Wolverine today. Give him a chance to explain himself." She hoped her aunt would listen and that things would work out all right. Her aunt had been without a man for a very long time, and Prue knew that she was very lonely. She thought that 'Ro and Wolverine had made a good match.
Ororo had paused and was gazing up at the sky. Her talk with Prue had calmed her emotions enough so that she had been able to rein in the lightning and thunder, but she had also felt a different change in the current, one that she could not quite pinpoint. "Prue, I . . . I do not wish to scare you, my child, but we do not yet quite know what is going on here. Besides that, with Pirates, you never know what danger might loom its head when." She gently caressed the side of Prue's face as she looked into her eyes. "If anything should happen, always remember to protect your sisters, but you must also protect the Book." She knew Patty had never really talked about the Book with her children and that she would have to sooner or later but also felt, for some reason, that the warning would soon be needed.
Prue nodded. She wished she knew more about the Book, but her mother and grandmother had kept it hidden from them. She had only caught glimpses of it but never seen the inside. "I will protect the Book, but what's so important about it, Auntie 'Ro? What's actually in it?"
"Nearly every Witch -- indeed, every one who takes the time to do so -- has a Book of Shadows. Some are only for one Witch while others may be for a coven or a family. In your family's case, Prue, that Book dates back to the very first of your ancestors. It holds every spell the Halliwell Witches who came before you and your sisters used, and . . . There is another something very special in that Book. There are," she said, choosing her words with extra care, "very special Witches who will come into their power sometime during your family's line."
"What do you mean special Witches, Auntie?"
Ororo's eyes met Prue's. "The most powerful Witches of all time."
"Wow! What will they do -- fight Demons and other evil things?"
Her answer was a mere, mute nod.
"Gosh! I wonder when they'll happen."
Ororo fought a smile but still did not speak. She knew the girls had to find their way into their powers on their own and that she must not reveal any more of the Charmed Ones' identity to Prue or her sisters.
"I've already hidden it. It's safe, and I promise I won't let anything happen to it, so stop worrying about it and go check up on your Wolverine. I'm going to talk to Wolf and see if he can tell me anything." She gave 'Ro another quick hug.
Ororo returned the hug even as she could not help thinking that Patty would be proud of her eldest daughter for even with everything that had happened that day, Prue was still trying to take care of those around her, even her! "I will, sweet child, but remember when you face Brendan again, he truly believes what he is saying. You think he does not want to fight for you, but it may well be that he believes he already is, in a way that only he can to protect you from himself."
"I'll try to remember, but it's hard. He's so stubborn! I'll see you later. Do you know where Wolf is?"
Ororo shook her head. "If I see him, though, I'll tell him that you're looking for him. He should be able to find you rather simply."
Prue headed off in search of Wolf, hoping that 'Ro would keep her head and not blow Wolverine to smithereens.
Ororo watched Prue go before lifting herself back into the air. Lightning bolts illuminated the decks as she continued in search of Wolverine while also keeping her eyes open for Wolf or Elvira, who she knew could easily lead her to the Werewolf.
Lex's blue eyes were focused on his Captain and the mug he grasped as though it were a live snake, waiting to bite him. "You have to drink it," he repeated.
Jack made an awful face even as he took another sip of the foul liquid. "Swamp water probably tastes better than this," he muttered. He felt as though he had ten snakes aloose in his gut as the liquid made its slithering way down his throat and into his stomach.
"I wouldn't doubt that," Lex admitted, "but it works wonders. Brendan made me drink it once, a long time ago." A coy smile played over his lips. "Actually, I saw him drink it once himself, and he wasn't even in our situation." He shrugged. "I think he just thought he needed the energy. Surely he couldn't have liked the taste? But you should have seen him!"
When Jack had drank the last sip, he turned the mug upside down and glared balefully at Lex. "What now?" he demanded. "You promised to tell me what to do with Will. I'm listening."
Lex nodded, "And I will, but first I think you'd best get to the railing, Captain."
Jack's stomach grumbled, and he held it even as he ran out of the galley and to the rail. Twice that day, everything had come out of him, and this one smelled worse than the first. It showed no sign of stopping, and he wretched until he thought he would explode. Then he hung limply on to the railing, his head resting on it.
"I know that felt like everything you've probably ever eaten in your entire life," Lex's voice came from behind him, "but that was the alcohol you've consumed tonight. You needed to get it out of your system in order to be able to deal with Will."
Jack sat down with his back against the railing. "Somebody's gotta deal with me now," he said. "I don't think I can even walk, but I can tell you one thing: I don't ever want any more of that tequila! Did you know that there's a worm in the bottle and Faith was enjoying eating it? The very thought makes me sick!"
Lex nodded. "That's all part of Faith," he calmly observed. "Basic rule of thumb I've found, Captain: If you see Faith eating or drinking something, unless some one else is already partaking of the same, you generally don't want it."
Jack nodded sagely. "I believe you're right, Lex. I know I don't want any more. So sit down here and tell me what my next step is."
Lex obediently swung down and sat beside Jack. "First of all, you've got to stop running." He held up a finger to silence him. "Don't try to deny it. I know you have; I was there once before myself. You don't know what you're doing. You don't want to disappoint or scare him, and the thought of doing so and not knowing what to do scares you in return."
"That's true," Jack slowly admitted, "but I wasn't running. I went out to knock Brendan in the head. I thought he had attacked Prue, but it turned out that Brendan and Prue had had a fuss and Brendan was kicking his own butt. Tried to talk some reasoning into him. Just like pissing into the wind. He won't listen, and he won't do anything to help himself."
"Sounds like trying to talk to Faith."
"Yup. They've got a lot in common. I guess Will thinks I ran away, but I just haven't gotten back there yet. I wanted some rum, Lex, but it's all gone. Do you have any ideal who took it or where they hid it? That tequila will kill you."
"It will indeed," Lex admitted. "A couple of more bottles, if even that many, and we wouldn't have even seen you again until this time tomorrow night."
"If then," Jack admitted. "There's just times that I am so weak, Lex, and I just can't fight what I am. I have to admit it: I have trouble with alcohol, but if you tell anybody I said that, I'll deny it."
Lex couldn't help thinking that at least that secret admission didn't come with the usual warning that he'd get his throat slit.
"Well, come on, Lex. Tell me what to do, man. Will will think I've left the ship and am not coming back."
"He'd never think that. He knows the Pearl means too much to you for you to ever abandon her. But he might think you're hiding from him and have no intention of ever coming back out."
"I wouldn't do that," Jack said. "I might not be able to do anything to give him pleasure yet, but I damn sure wouldn't hide! It just sort of happened. I was trying to sort things out with Faith about Dawson. She's determined to leave us in Tortuga."
Lex looked at Jack in shock. "What!"
"She says it's all my fault and it's because Dawson's aboard, but I don't think that's the true matter of it. I think Dawson got under her skin and she wants him really badly, but in order for her to ever admit she wants anybody . . . Well, that would probably take a miracle. Faith wants the world to think that she's Big, Bad, Tough Faith and that nobody tells her what to do. That's probably true some of the time, but definitely not where Salem and Dawson are concerned."
Lex knew that Salem and Dawson were not the only ones that could reach Faith and also realized that Jack and Dawson were not the only reasons why she was desperate to separate herself from the rest of them. He also knew, however, that he could not tell Jack that, and in his nervousness, reached for a necklace that Clark had once given him and that he never took off. As he slid the amulet between his fingers, he spoke quietly but determinedly, "That's a miracle we are going to have to find a way to make happen before we arrive in Tortuga, but the first problem we need to work on is yours with Will, Captain. You think you can't give him pleasure, but you're wrong. Even one kiss, just one touch, gives him pleasure, but I know you want to do more. There's several ways to do so. A -- hum -- blowjob is the first I learned."
"You mean, with one of those tubes? How do you use that on them?"
Lex shook his head. "Not darts," he corrected, looking incredulously at Jack. "A blowjob. It involves, hum, your mouth on his sword."
"Interesting," Jack said. "What do you do to get there? You go straight to the goal?"
"You could try that," Lex admitted, "but wouldn't you rather give him as much pleasure as possible?"
"Yes, I would. So what do I do?"
Hearing footsteps somewhere on deck, Lex leaned in even closer to Jack as he whispered so that only he should have been able to hear him. "It all begins with a kiss . . . "
Upon approaching the galley, Wolverine's sharp hearing picked up the conversation between Jack and Lex. There was no way he was going to go in there and interrupt that! He began to make his way back to the area 'Ro and he shared, wondering where his little darlin' had gotten off to when the sky was suddenly split with a lightning bolt and the booming sound of thunder. The lightning had barely missed where he was standing. He jumped quickly away from the spot before turning and gazing upward. "'Ro?" he called up. "I know it's you. What's wrong?"
She appeared from the shadows, illuminated by her own lightning bolts as she towered before him, six feet of deadly, angry Weather Witch. She gazed at him for a moment from firm blue eyes before finally and simply stating the truth, "I heard about Faith."
Wolverine asked, his eyes gazing intently into hers, "What did ya hear about Faith?"
"I heard what she told Will while she was naked . . . with you."
"She fell out of the rigging and landed on me, knocking me to the deck. Jack and she were getting drunk on tequila, but I wasn't involved until she fell out on top of me. If you heard that part, I am sure that you heard me answer Will and say Jack was there. Honestly, Little Darlin', I wasn't lookin' at her or doin' anything with her except tryin' ta climb out from under her." He was pleased to see that 'Ro was jealous of him but hoped that she would believe him and not hit him with a lightning bolt.
Ororo watched Logan's face and eyes intently. "I said that I heard what she told Will. I did not say that the words came from her lips." She would not, however, reveal that Clark had been the one she had heard it from. "You say that she was with Jack, but he wants Will, does he not?"
"Yes, but they were both getting drunk. Some one ran off with Jack's rum, and he was trying to reason with Faith who wasn't having any of it. She gave him tequila, and . . . sorry to say, Jack climbed in the bottle. Jack wants Will, and until he actually manages to do something with Will, there's no telling what he'll do. I would have told Will again that Jack was over there with us, but Faith knocked the air out o' my lungs."
"So the two were getting drunk together and involving in . . . such activities when you happened innocently across the scene?" Her eyes were still narrowed and full of suspicion, but the bad weather had relented.
"Little Darlin', the only woman I'm interested in is your beautiful self. Jack wasn't really doin' much with Faith 'cept tryin' to talk to her and put her clothes on, but she's all worked up about Dawson bein' aboard an' there was no reasonin' with her." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, his eyes never leaving hers.
She smiled, the last of her anger ebbing away. She knew it was not safe to trust people so easily, but somehow she could not seem to help it with Logan. "So what are you going to do about your boy?" she asked him softly.
"Leave him alone for now. Lex is workin' on him, an' believe it or not, Clark found Will an' he's talkin' to him, as well. Hopefully somethin' will come from it." He was relieved that she let him stand so close to her. "Ready fer bed?" he asked her.
She had found herself gazing into his eyes and wondering why it was so hard for so many of them to let others get close when he spoke again. She quickly nodded and attempted to put her thoughts aside. She had to watch him. She did not want to be hurt again and still could not understand why he so easily evoked such emotions in her. Yet, despite herself, she could not help reaching a hand up and gently caressing his roughened face.
Holding to her hand, he led her to their little nook and allowed her to enter first.
Ororo stood, gazing down at the area that he had fixed for them in pleased surprise. She had been worried about sleeping so close to him, but he had placed two separate cots with a short but reasonable distance between them. She knew she could not sleep on the one inside, however. She smiled at him. "Thank you, and . . . I . . . am sorry for doubting you." How could she explain that it came from years of experience, experience that seemed useless when it came to him?
"Don't worry about it, 'Ro. I am only glad that you believe me at last. I make you a promise: I'll be here for you. If you need me, you have but to call me. But I will not make another move on you unless you desire it." He took his shirt off and moved over to lay down on the cot. Normally, he would strip all the way down, but in deference to also being 'Ro's room, he kept his pants on.
She laid down on the cot closest to the outside, then turned to her side to gaze at him from underneath her eyelids. For once, her words failed her, but as she finally started to speak again, she was interrupted by a snore that she did not realize was faked. "Goddess," she whispered, "what blessing have you slipped into my life this time, and do I dare trust it?"
Wolverine continued to hold his body as still as he could, letting an occasional snore erupt. He could hear the wind picking up outside and realized that 'Ro was not having anything to do with it. It would probably rain before morning. For a night two days before the full moon, it was awful dark, and he could smell rain and cold. He shivered at the thought even as he turned on to his left side.
He tensed, waiting for 'Ro to fall asleep. He knew she was not asleep yet. He wondered how he had been so lucky for her to fall into his life and hoped that he would not do anything at all to bugger it up. He thought back over the women he had known in his life and realized he had not been with any of them for very long. Something had always come along to mess it up. He prayed that this time this wonderful woman would stay in his life until his time on Earth was done. That being the last thought on his mind, he passed into sleep.
Beside him, Ororo lay awake for a while longer, her mind dwelling on not only the day's events but events that had led her to be so loathe in trusting. Her thoughts also continuously turned to the four young women who had been left in her care, and she prayed to her Bright Lady that she would be able to care for them where Patty and Penelope were no longer able to.
The last time Prue had seen Wolf, he had been heading for the crow's nest with Elvira in tow. She knew she had to see him and get to the bottom of things, and she figured one time was as good as any other as he always seemed to be with Elvira. When she reached the crow's nest, she called up pleadingly, "WOLF, I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU. I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY, BUT YOU'RE ALWAYS BUSY! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE TALK TO ME!"
Wolf, who had actually been resting in between times, stuck his head above the crow's nest and looked down where Prue was standing. He glanced back at Elvira. He figured she would have fallen asleep, but her eyes were wide open and gazing at him tenderly. "YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME OR ELVIRA?" Wolf called down.
"EITHER OR BOTH OF YOU, IF YOU HAVE THE ANSWER."
"WHAT IS THIS, A RIDDLE?" Wolf called down.
"OF SORTS," Prue called back up.
"OKAY. GIVE US A MINUTE, AND WE'LL BE DOWN."
Prue stood and waited, wringing her hands constantly so great was her agitation. True to his word, Wolf was down on the deck within two minutes. Elvira had popped his pants again, and they would not hold together so he had taken her skirt and wrapped it around himself. Prue tried not to look at the skirt. "What can I help you with, Miss Halliwell?" Wolf asked.
"I need to know the answer, Wolf, and I know you know it."
"The answer to what?" Elvira asked as she hopped down behind Wolf. Even then, despite Prue's serious look and her concern for the girl, she could not help reaching out a hand, gently grabbing a few of Wolf's tail hairs, and shaking them.
Wolf growled playfully at Elvira even as he made a grab for her hand.
"I need to know how to conquer Brendan's wolf."
Wolf cleared his throat but looked away. "He doesn't want you to know, and I can't be the one to tell you. I have his trust, and it's very important to us wolves that we can believe and trust in one another."
"I love him, Wolf, and I want to be with him. He knows what the answer is, but he won't even attempt it. He says he loves me and he wants to be with me, but he can't because his wolf will kill me."
"Honey," Elvira interrupted, "you're not that inexperienced!"
"What do you mean?" Prue asked, looking at her.
"The whole thing with his wolf will kill you," Elvira replied with a roll of her black eyes. "Sure, they're huge, bigger than anything you've ever saw or imagined before, but you can handle it. Besides, when a man and a woman are meant to be together, they fit together like a . . . like a hand in a glove." She paused, realizing what she had just admitted despite herself. She had always believed that, though she'd never found any one until that day who fit her so well. Wolf filled her completely, like no other ever had or could. Did that truly mean that they were meant for each other, that she need not fear letting him in, allowing him to love her?
Wolf had turned away from Prue and was still not looking at her. Had Elvira known all along or was she simply guessing?
Prue's mouth fell open in shock. "You mean . . . I've got to do it with his wolf?" She could not fathom the thought!
Elvira stopped, surprise etched over her face. "Did I say that?" Before either could answer her, she babbled on, "Well, probably, yeah. I mean, the wolf's a virgin, the man's a virgin, but in order to get to one, you have to go through the other, and it's not as if you can get to the wolf from the man so you're gonna have to calm the beast first. Yeah, that does make perfect sense!"
After hearing that, Prue now realized why Brendan had run like crazy from her. He would think that she would be shocked and definitely not wanting his wolf. She wondered if it could be something that simple, and although the thought of sleeping with the wolf did not excite her, the thought of reaching the man underneath did. "How . . . can that happen when he can not control the wolf?" Prue asked. "That is what he meant when he said the wolf would kill me: His wolf would get out of control and eat me."
"Girl, the way that boy is, if he could control the wolf, you wouldn't get anywhere! Heck, I haven't seen anybody that scared since the last time I was at a blacksmith shop, and you know the kind of trouble I cause at those places! They won't shoe my horse, they can get the shoe up their -- " She stopped, realizing from the look on Prue's face that she was getting far off the beaten path. "Any way, to get back to your problem, chains should calm the wolf and could probably be a bit fun for ya too. Have you ever tried them before? Of course you haven't," she answered before Prue could. "You're still too virginal."
Prue had a shocked look on her face. Chains? How was she supposed to get chains on Brendan? "What kind of chains, and how do I get them on him? You can't just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, can I put these on you?'"
Wolf had not said a word but had been listening intently. "You've got to have silver chains, and they won't feel good. They're very painful, but they're the only kind that will hold a Werewolf. Wesley has some. He's used them on me in the past and on Brendan once or twice. They burn. They anger the beast." He finally turned around, facing Prue. "You'd best think about this long and hard, Miss Halliwell. If we help you, Brendan's going to look at it as though I betrayed him. He won't like me any more. I don't want to lose his friendship. I'm going to stay in the background and let you and Elvira handle it, but if things get out of hand, I'll stick my nose in it."
Wolf's words sank Elvira's heart. She'd not thought of the harm chains could cause to a wolf, only of the fun that could be had with such. She turned to step before her lover and gently cupped her hands around his face. "Sweetheart," she spoke, gazing into his eyes, "if that damn Brendan doesn't have enough brains to know that you're true and loyal to your friends and to a woman if she'd only let you be, then I'll make him realize you are." Before either Prue or Wolf could protest at the thought that she might attempt to harm the boy, she clarified herself, "I'll tell him that I was the one who told Prue what she had to do, even if I didn't realize what the heck I was really talking about when I started, and I know," she pressed a finger to the tip of his nose, "that he'll smell the truth."
Wolf nodded. "If we're going to do it, we need to do it tomorrow. The day after is a full moon. There will be no controlling him at all. It'd be much safer to wait until after the full moon has come and gone. It's up to you, Prue."
Prue thought about it, and she knew she'd have to do a lot more thinking about it. It was a huge step to take. Wolf might be right: Brendan might not only hate Wolf, but he might hate her, as well, for attempting it. "After the full moon," she said. "We'll try it then. I don't want any one to get hurt, so we'll wait. Thank you for helping me, and I, too, will tell Brendan that it was not you who told." She reached out and gripped Elvira's hand. "And thank you, Elvira, for telling me what no one else would tell me."
"Hey, you know me, girlfriend," Elvira replied in an attempt to lighten the mood, winking at Prue. "I can't keep anything quiet."
"I'll see you two later," Prue said as she turned and began to make her way back to the galley. She hoped that the others had actually managed to get it clean and that she wouldn't have to do it all by herself. She finally reached the galley even as she felt the wind whip up all around her. She knew she'd have to retire soon.
Her mouth fell open in surprise when she saw that the galley was spotless and that no one remained in it. She guessed they had made their way to bed. She headed that way. She'd thank everybody the next day, but now, she was exhausted and just wanted to lay down. It didn't take her long to reach her sleeping cot, and she fell into it, her last thoughts being of Brendan.
To Be Continued . . .
