Chapter Forty
Donkey had been the last one eating the leftover scraps. He had no clue as to where the other animals had gone, but when he had eaten the last bite, he headed off along the deck. He hoped there would be other entertainment, because he wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet and had missed the singing. He had not walked far when he heard two grumbling voices. "Hey, that's mine! Get your furry lips off of it!"
"It's better to share," came the other voice, "and it's my turn for a sip!"
Donkey thought he recognized Salem's and Meesy's voices. He almost stepped in glass without realizing it. He skirted around it and almost stepped on another cat. Squinting downward, he recognized it as a female called Kit. He stared at her for a moment as her tail flicked lazily in the air. Perhaps it was because she was a cat, he thought, that she was laying on her back, her everything exposed for all the world to see. "Pardon me, madam," Donkey said, "but are you all right?"
Her purr did not seem to be quite right, and she did not seem to be moving. He lowered his head so that he could get a better look, and her eyes squinted open. The first thing he noticed as she looked at him was that her pupils were dilated in a strange manner. It was her words, however, that took him by shock. "You want some of it, too, huh? Come and get it."
"Hey!" Salem thundered. "We agreed to share, but not with some filthy donkey!"
"He's not filthy," Meesy corrected his friend with a hiccup, "but he wasn't part of the deal."
"What are y'all drinking?" Donkey asked, looking at the two males and then back to the female. There was a strong smell in the air. He was afraid sex had been going on and he had just missed it. Thank the Goddess! He didn't want to see it, not between cats at least! He sighed with relief.
"Tequila," Salem burped out the word. "Figured since Dawson managed to get Faith out of it, we might as well have a go."
"Hey, give me some of it!" Donkey begged. "I like liquor! Wish I could get a hold of some of the rum Jack keeps fussing about! I bet it tastes awfully good!"
Meesy swatted at a bottle, sending it rolling straight to Donkey's hooves. "I've had it before. Horrid stuff. This isn't exactly what I like, but it's not too bad for that delicious buzz. 'Course the Queen would have had my hide back then," he murmured the last bit to himself, "but she's long gone."
"Are you sure she's gone?" Donkey asked. "People have a way of turning up here."
"Yes," Meesy told him quietly, a sad, far-away look settling in his hazy, blue eyes. "I saw her ship be destroyed. I should have been on it."
"No, you shouldn't have been," Salem told him firmly, pushing the bottle they were sharing at him. "What you should be doing is getting drunk with the rest of us and don't give me any more of that crap. I already had too much of it out of Faith!"
"Regrets, not to have been by her side, but not regrets of living. I much prefer the latter! She was the grandmother to Katrina and Celina, and at least, I am still able to watch over them and any little ones should we be lucky enough to have them."
Kit's eyes flew open. "Don't you even go there!"
Salem had to hide a smile. The three of them had had so much fun that Kit was barely still conscious but, just like any other woman, always came around at the wrong time. "Not yours!"
"Better not be!"
The boys rolled their eyes even as Kit shut hers again.
Donkey took a sip and spit it out. "That stuff's nasty! How can y'all drink that!" He took another sip. That one seemed to stay down a little better. He glanced at the two of them but noticed that they, too, were falling down to the deck with their eyes closed. He had to chuckle at the way that Meesy's chocolate plume of a tail fluttered in the air; it was the only part of him left sticking up.
Donkey grasped the bottle firmly in his lips and took another sip. He continued to sip along until he had the bottle empty. With a loud burp, he picked up the bottle again and tossed it over the side of the ship. Just because he was lit didn't mean he had to be untidy. He took a couple of more steps and then sank down to his knees and to the deck of the ship. He started snoring right by the cats.
Jack's face turned red as Lex whispered words to him about what to do to Will. He had heard about such, but he had never thought himself capable of doing it. "It all begins with a kiss, aye?" He couldn't wait to try that line on Will and see how far he got.
Lex nodded solemnly. "I've found that with Clark, as I am sure you will with Will, that anything worthwhile is always started with a kiss."
"Can't wait to try that line on Will and see where it will lead. Thanks, Lex, for everything. See you tomorrow."
Lex smiled, an expression that reached all the way to even the dark corners that had been haunting his mind that night. "Any time, Captain."
Jack began to make his way back to his cabin. He opened the door, walked in, and looked around for Will but did not see him. He laid down on the bed and watched the door hopefully for Will's return.
Lex waited in the darkness until he heard the Captain's door shut. It was only then that he moved, rolling to his feet and heading off in search of Clark. Somehow, he had a feeling that his beloved had been working his tongue just as hard as he had just been. He hoped Clark had had the gall to tell Will what the boy needed to know but doubted it. As much as he loved the man, he could still be too timid. He found them huddled together by the railing and whispering urgently back and forth, just as he had suspected he would, but waited for Clark to acknowledge him.
Clark had known exactly when Lex had walked up. His heart skipped several beats, as it always did when his beloved came near, but he did not rush Will. He wanted things to be right with Jack and Will. "You have any more questions, Will?"
Will's face was still rather paled with the shock of all that Clark had just told him. "Just the same one. One last time. I'm sorry," he apologized with a shake of his head, "but I just find it so hard to believe! You're sure that's where it goes?"
"One of the places, my friend, but only when you're ready. Don't rush it. Take it slow, and remember nothing you do that makes the other feel pleasure and doesn't hurt yourself is wrong. I learned that from Lex. Now go and have fun."
"I just hope he's ready for me," Will spoke quietly, but Lex still heard him.
Lex moved closer at Will's words and smiled reassuringly at the boy. "He is."
Will looked at him in surprise. "How do you know?"
"Let's just say Cupid's had a little help tonight," Lex replied with a grin.
Will wanted to run off after Jack but stilled himself just long enough to look at both men with immense gratitude shining in his eyes and on his face. "Thank you, both, for . . . for so much . . . for everything!"
"Why do I feel like somebody's Fairy Godmother?" Clark asked. He smiled at Will. "You're welcome, my friend. Any time I can help you, let me know."
"That goes for us both," Lex amended even as Will rushed off for Jack's cabin.
Angel continued his watch, walking around the ship and making sure that all were protected. He had heard the music but had not joined in. He now longed to talk to Cordelia and clear the path between them if indeed that were possible. He was afraid when he told her the truth about himself, that she would run screaming and hide from him. If this happened, he would have to release her and never let her know his true deepest feelings. How could one small woman affect him so badly to the point he felt he could not live without her? Her scent filled the air, and he followed it to her. He stood quietly watching her as she approached him.
"Angel," Cordelia called as soon as she spotted the object of her thoughts, "I've been looking for you." She had been for some time now and had even began to wonder if he was avoiding her. She also hated that they had missed the music.
"Come walk with me. I must continue my watch, but we need to talk as well." He smiled at her even as he held out his hand.
She took his hand but could not help gazing with worried suspicion into his eyes. Why did tension seem to fill the air? What was wrong?
"I have told you already part of my life, but there's a lot more that you don't know. I don't know any other way except to just come out and tell you, but I don't want to frighten you. I am not what I appear to be . . . " his voice trailed off, searching for the right words.
Her eyes searched his for any kind of a hint as to just what he was getting at. "Angel, you can't frighten me. You're a good man. I know you have a . . . hard past, but you are a good man," she repeated. "You saved me today, and when you did . . . That was the first time I began to realize that there are good men still left in this world."
The wind had picked up and began to blow Angel's hair as he turned to face her. It whipped into his face, and he dashed it out of the way. "Cordelia, I am glad I was able to rescue you today and I would do it again as many times as need be. I know that if I tell you what I am, I stand a very good chance of losing you but I don't want us to go on without you knowing the truth. I am a . . . Vamp." His eyes looked pleadingly into hers, begging for understanding.
Cordelia's brow creased in confusion even as she shivered. The temperature seemed to be dropping steadily, but she tried to ignore the cold and focus on whatever was bothering Angel so badly. "A Vamp?" she repeated, clearly not understanding.
"A Vampire," he told her, his eyes not leaving hers.
"A Vampire?" She looked at him disbelievingly, confusion and worry growing in her round eyes. What was he playing about? "Angel, what are you talking about? That's just . . . just a legend . . . I mean, sure it might be interesting if those things did exist, but they're just stories."
Angel shook his head. "No, darling, Vampires are real. There are really quite a lot of us around, and there are evil ones just as well as there are good ones. In fact, on these ships alone, there are three of us. We're good. There are also Werewolves and other creatures that go bump in the night." He paused, waiting to see what kind of reaction she was having. Would she believe him?
The icy winds were now whipping Cordelia's long hair, as well. She reached out a trembling hand to gently pat Angel's shoulder. "Right, sweetheart. Why don't you say we go . . . huh, somewhere warmer, and you can tell me all about these creatures of yours?"
"I don't mind taking you somewhere warmer, Cordelia, and I'm not making this up. I am telling you the truth. You can ask either of the Captains, and they will acknowledge it. We even have Werecats aboard. Have you not noticed the Lewis sisters?"
She paused, looking at him in even more surprise. She had noticed the catwomen and the catman and had indeed nearly fainted when she'd seen the first. Could there be something to his tall tale, after all? "I thought they were just . . . I don't know . . . I didn't really want to think about it, I guess."
He nodded in understanding. "It's important for you to know, Cordelia, that no one aboard either of these ships will ever hurt you but that when the full moon comes, strange things will happen. It will be best for you to stay in the sleeping quarters those nights."
"And what are you going to be doing?" she countered. "Howling at the moon?" She just couldn't believe what she was hearing!
"No. Brendan will be, though. And Wolf. They're Werewolves. Me, I'll just be running amuck. Very few are brave enough to be on deck when the moon is full. Not even Jack likes to be out there then." He was surprised she was taking it so calmly and was beginning to think that she was still thinking he was telling a tall tale. "Come and I'll walk you to the sleeping quarters. It is time to be turning in."
Though she felt as though she were freezing to the bone, she did not want to go anywhere with this crazed conversation hanging in the air. "So all Vampires look like you? Just like normal humans?"
"Yes, unless they're Vamped out. You won't want to see me when I'm Vamped out."
There! There was her chance to prove him wrong and convince him to see a doctor when they came to shore! "Actually," she challenged, folding her arms even more tightly against her chest and tilting her chin so that her determined eyes slanted directly upwards into his, "I do. You say I need to believe in all this, Angel, then show me. Give me a reason to believe this insanity."
He let go of her hand and backed away from her. "I will show you this once while I am in complete control. The night of the full moon, I will not be in control." Still keeping his eyes on hers, he Vamped, expecting screams to burst forth from her lips at any second.
Her body went weak in shock as she saw his handsome face change and convert. His eyes flashed, sending a tremble through her. His teeth were enlarging when something flickering in the sky caught her gaze. She looked up, and that was when her face went an even deeper shade of pale. "A-A-A-An-Ang-Angel -- " she stuttered out, her eyes frozen on the object in the air even as she stumbled backwards.
Angel quickly reverted to his human self. "Cordelia, are you okay?" he asked, expecting her to burst out screaming.
Her breath was coming in gasps, and she found that she could not form words. Instead, she raised a trembling finger to point not at him but at the sky instead.
Angel's eyes followed her finger, and his dead heart skipped a beat. That awful nightmare had returned and was now hovering above two people he knew in an instant were Lorne and Crys! Crys was trying to climb the ship's railing, reaching toward the creature, and Lorne seemed to be fighting her, trying to hold her down! Angel raced for the pair, calling desperately to Crys. "DON'T DO IT!" He barely managed to reach her and grab her ankles, pulling her back down. He did not let go.
To Be Continued . . .
