Chapter Forty-two

As the Hell of ice, snow, and wind raged around their small spot on the Sea Witch, Faith slept on. She was murmuring in her sleep and continued to twist and turn, trying to pull herself up into a small, tight ball. She whimpered in her sleep from time to time. Sometimes those whimpers were words, but at others, they were far more akin to the sounds of a wounded animal. "Please . . . Don't . . . Don't . . . Don't hurt her . . . " Her hands flailed out suddenly, striking at Dawson in her sleep. "I won't let you . . . "

Dawson didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but it seemed like only seconds when he was suddenly hit by Faith. He moved away from her so that she could no longer reach him. He caught the words she was whimpering. He did not know what nightmare had her locked and wouldn't let go. "Faith? Faith, honey, you need to wake up."

She trembled in her sleep, drawing into an even tighter ball. She was so locked in the nightmare of memories that she could not hear Dawson nor the sounds of the outside battle. "Don't . . . " she repeated, and then, "I won't . . . " She struck out again, flailing at the air. "You can't make me . . . "

Dawson knew nobody could make Faith do anything. He didn't know what she was dreaming, but he knew he had to wake her. They were in danger. Creeping in closer to her side, he caught her hands just as one almost struck him again. "Faith," he kissed her hand before reaching out and shaking her. "Faith, wake up."

Even as Dawson's voice began to slowly break through to her, the memories persisted, and her face shifted from one of anger and determination to a scared, sad look that could have belonged to a child. Her voice then came out in a soft, shaking breath as tears filled her face. "Mommy . . . "

"Faith, baby, wake up! It's me -- Dawson! We're in danger; we've got to go from here! Wake up!" He shook her again and was finally rewarded with her eyes opening.

Faith looked up through eyes blurred with tears. Her confusion grew as she slowly made out Dawson. "Dawson?" she whispered. Then, barely catching herself, "Kid?"

"Yeah, it's me! We're under attack! We're in danger of drowning!" As if to accentuate, a huge wave crashed over them. If they had been standing, it would have knocked them down.

"Of course we are," Faith muttered. "There's always crap hitting the damn fan." She rolled to her feet, ignoring the pain that splintered through her. "And I don't know what you think you just saw or heard, but whatever it was, forget it." She knew she had been having the nightmare again and hated herself even more for letting her guard drop so far around him. Just how had she gone from being about to get a second ride to sleeping instead? She growled; it didn't matter. Without a further word to Dawson and without a thought for her clothes, Faith rushed off after her cannon.

Dawson followed as close as he could, holding tightly to Faith's clothes. He could not believe it when his startled eyes made contact with two drunk cats sitting on the railing, singing, amongst all the chaos. "Salem?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, man! Give me that old bottle of tequila!"

"No, man," Meesy argued, "give it to me!"

"I'm not giving it to either one of you, and I don't even have one so get down from there before the water gets you!"

"What water, man? Are you hallucinating?" Salem asked even as a wave crashed over both Salem and Meesy, knocking them to the deck.

"Hell no, he's not hallucinating!" Faith snapped, not realizing that she appeared to be coming to Dawson's defense. "It's you two who are drunk out of your damn gourds!"

"Meow? Meow? Meow? Meow!" came another high-pitched voice.

Dawson looked down. Kit was struggling to get to her feet. He reached down and scooped her up. She had been into something, because she stunk, but he would not put her back down for fear that the next wave would wash her out to sea.

He watched as Faith lined the cannon up and shot it skyward, trying to knock the Demon out of the sky. None of the group could believe their eyes when the cannonball suddenly turned to ice and headed back in their direction. They scattered to keep from getting hit, but though they managed to avoid the cannonball, the ice shard that followed it made a hole in the ship. It landed so close to Meesy and Salem that the impact sent them flying.

"SALEM!" Faith screamed as she dove after him.

Meesy had managed to find some wood to cling to, but Salem was skittering over the deck, heading straight for the railing. Seconds later, he had gone overboard with one little splash and Faith jumping right behind him. Dawson scooped Meesy up and ran for the sleeping quarters. He threw the two cats into the sleeping quarters, raced back to the railing, and jumped overboard behind Faith, hoping he could reach both her and Salem in the nick of time. He could barely make them out in the water and swam desperately toward them when the current knocked him for a loop. It was surging swiftly along and grabbed him, starting to take him far away. He fought back, but he was not a match for it.

Faith had barely managed to grab Salem's unconscious body when she turned back to see Dawson being pulled away by the current. She turned her eyes away for just a moment, urging herself to get away from the damn kid while she could, but instead she turned back to him and began to swim even faster.

Dawson saw Faith coming and thought for one brief moment that they'd make it out of the water and back to the ship. Then suddenly, the water was split by an ice shard that knocked Dawson out cold.

Faith's heart nearly froze when she saw the ice shard barely miss Dawson, but she continued forward, swimming with renewed energy that she should have been too tired to have. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when she managed to grab Dawson's arm, but the shadow of another ice shard fell across the trio. She knew what the shadow was and tried desperately to swim out of its way. Dawson's and Salem's weight slowed her too much, however, and she would not relinquish them. As the shard closed down on her, Faith's last thought was that she had tried and failed . . . just as she always did when it came to the important things.


Katrina had finally gained the deck. She knew that her family was close behind her and the ship was tilting. She tried desperately to stop it from going under. Clinging to the railing, she began a chant to put the blocking spells up. She was instantly joined by her sister on one side and her husband on the other. She felt them come up just as a wave slammed over the top of them, taking the railing out that she was clinging to and sweeping them over the side of the ship.

Morph, who had been nearby and about to attempt to distract the Demon, saw his family go overboard and followed suit. As he did so, he transformed into an octopus so that his arms could reach out to each. His tentacles had barely managed to grab them when he heard an icy voice far above them, "I always did like squid." Morph felt something cold blast through his side but clung to his family even as the world around him went dark.

Frostbite was about to send another shard after the Sorceresses when a cannonball blasted through him. He screamed in pain and anguish and whirled to face his attacker. He could hardly believe that a naked man was having his cannons loaded by goblins and other strange creatures and racing down the line, shooting them off in a rapid succession.

As the cannonballs shot up towards him, however, Frostbite sent them back. They exploded into the Delvira's Delight, and one nearly slammed into the King. It was only the naked woman and the forcefield that moved with her that stopped the cannonball dead at their feet. Frostbite was busily mending the hole in his body when Delvira, having completed spreading the forcefield around Jareth and herself, began to summon a fireball.

The Fieries, seeing the steadily-expanding fire, screamed and let themselves off of the ship, taking their fates in the water rather than against the Queen who was not even studying them. Instead, she lobbed the fireball at Frostbite. It spun swiftly toward him. He turned toward it just in time to see it blast through the same hole he had been trying to mend. He howled in anguish, and his light vanished.

Jareth could tell Frostbite was still up there, but he did not know where. He could not pinpoint his location. He looked around his ship and saw that it was empty except for him, Delvira, and his pet whose howls sent chills through him. "LUDO," he demanded, "DO NOT CALL THE ROCKS!"

Ludo opened his eyes to look at Jareth in surprise. "But . . . rocks friends!"

"Rocks put big holes in ship!" Jareth said, looking at him. "Don't call them!"

"Rocks friends!" Ludo repeated. "Rocks save!"

"NO!" Jareth yelled even as rocks came out of nowhere and began to pelt the ship, hammering holes through its decks.

Ludo was still persisting in calling the rocks when a certain Knight leapt onto him from out of nowhere. "Never fear, my King! I shall conquer this mountain!" He began to hit Ludo with his cane.

Jareth groaned and rubbed his temples. As usual, he was surrounded by idiots.

A really huge rock landed square in the middle of the ship, busting a hole all the way to the ocean. Delvira's Delight began to swiftly take on water, and Jareth knew he had to get Delvira and the rest of his family out of there quickly.


Wolf and Elvira had been watching the battle from the Pearl's crow's nest and desperately trying to figure out what to do to help when Elvira's comment surprised Wolf. "Damn, that dog's insane!"

"Dog?" Wolf asked.

"Ludo," Elvira, who had been watching her family's ship, explained while pointing the big, shaggy beast out. "He's kind of Jareth's pet. And he's calling the damn rocks!"

"What's that little thing on him, beating at him with a stick?" Wolf had missed Didymus' arrival earlier in the evening.

"Another dog," Elvira told him, "but this one's a Knight. Kinda cute, actually, but completely insane. Y'know that thing Jareth threw you guys in earlier? The Bog of Eternal Stench? He thinks it smells like a bed of roses!"

"My Gods, your family's crazy, but I'm glad I'm in it! We'd better get down there and help them, darling!"

Elvira had turned to Wolf when he had admitted that he was glad to be in her crazy family. She had realized something earlier, while talking to Prue, and was seconds from telling him that when an ice shard tore the crow's nest from the riggings. Wolf held on to her even as they fell toward the deck. He grabbed at sails and everything else that came in their path, trying to slow their descent. He feared that if they landed on the deck, it would smash them, but even as they reached the deck, he realized there was a hole and that they were falling into the hole and straight into the water. He held to her tightly, praying that they would not drown.


Autolycus could hear and see the damages being afflicted on the ship. He had no ideal where they were coming from, but he figured he was now about to drown and would never have a chance to find the really big one or make amends. No one would come to rescue him for they felt he did not deserve rescuing. He could not blame them, but that also did not stop him from hollering out for help. He had a skeleton key, but he couldn't reach it as he had been chained and was hanging from the ceiling by his arms.

Autolycus thought his desperate screams would reach no one for the wind that raged above, but they did manage to find their way to one set of ears. Elizabeth, who had been racing around the ship and desperately trying to find a way to either hide in safety or help defeat the enemy, whichever came first, came to a stop when she heard him. She knew his voice to belong to the jerk from earlier but could not help following it and peering down into what remained of the hold. "H-Hello?"

"Hello yourself! Get me down from here! PLEASE!" he yelled back up at her.

She knew he deserved to be hanging, but she also knew that he did not deserve to die and would if he was left there. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Climb down here, go in my pants pocket, and get the key!"

"If you already have the key, why are you still hanging there?"

"I can't reach it! It's in my pants' pocket! PLEASE HELP ME! I don't want to drown!"

"You don't deserve to be helped," Elizabeth chided him even as she began to carefully climb downwards. "How could you use those poor girls? Did you really want to . . . to get in their skirts so desperately that you would do that to them!"

"I rescued them this morning! I wasn't trying to get in their skirts! I was trying to steal the treasure," he admitted, not looking at her.

"Oh, poppycock!" Elizabeth snapped back at him. "You were trying to do both!" It was then that she lost her footing and fell into the water. The water was almost at Autolycus' waist, and Elizabeth swam the rest of the way to him.

"A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, ma'am. A Pirate's life is not easy, and you can't ever find a woman who actually wants to sleep with you unless you have a coin in your pocket. The key is in my left pants' pocket."

"No one's life is easy," Elizabeth returned, "and is that really all you think about -- money and women? There's so much more to life than that!" She was breathing hard from the swim and did not realize the way that her soaked bodice clung to her breasts. Knowing that she had to reach the key and unable to really see what she was doing, Elizabeth reached out a hand to touch Autolycus' waist. She forced her fingers to travel down him until she could find his pocket, then thrust her hand inside.

The closeness of the woman, despite the situation, made Autolycus' blood race. She was a fine-looking woman, and as far as he knew, she no longer belonged to any one. "Take it easy there, ma'am. I wouldn't want to go missing anything."

Elizabeth could not believe his audacity and quickly returned, "Do you want to get out of this, sir, or would you rather I go away and leave you here to drown?" It was at that time that her fingers were met with something hard. Thinking it was the key, she tried to lift it from the pocket and was forced to realize that it was definitely something else! Her eyes shot wide. "Oh my!"

"Oh my . . . !" he moaned as he looked at her. Wasn't expecting that! "Just a little more to the left," he managed to finally get out.

Elizabeth looked at him suspiciously from a reddened face. "A little more to the left what?" she managed to breathe, her fingers frozen inches away from his relinquished stallion. She was afraid of the answer he would give her.

"The key is a little more to the left!" he clarified slowly. He tried not to move even though he was longing to taste just one sample of the perky bosom that was thrust almost into his face.

At that information, Elizabeth quickly retrieved the key and yanked her hand out of his pocket. She was forced to press her body tightly against his in order to stretch high above to reach his chains. With trembling hands, she unlocked them one at a time.

"Thank you ever so much, Elizabeth! Now we've got to get out of here." He looked around their prison, realizing that the only way out was up the steps and that the ship was sinking quickly even as his blood was racing hotter. He headed for the stairs and began to climb out, turning back to make sure that she was following him. Once gaining the deck, he looked around to get his bearings. He saw Xena fighting the wheel valiantly even as Gabrielle was swept overboard.

Xena looked at Gabrielle, then back at the ship. She was desperate but yet did not want to relinquish her duty as Captain. "GO!" Autolycus yelled as he raced for the wheel. Xena dived immediately overboard, going after Gabrielle.


As soon as the light disappeared, Lorne relaxed his hold a little on Crys. "His light is gone, Crys. I don't see him anywhere."

The very second she felt Lorne's hold let up, Crystal renewed her struggle with even more vigor. "He's still there!" she told him. "He's not that easily defeated!"

"Neither am I, my love," Lorne said as he again put pressure back on her to hold her down. "Angel? Do you see anything?"

"Afraid not," came the instant reply, "but I can sense he's still up there. We've got to get the women to safety, Lorne; the ship's falling apart."

Crystal could not believe her ears. "To safety!" she spat out. "What is wrong with you! Don't you see it yet! With him around, there is no safety!"

"There is safety from drowning, Crys, and that is what we are in the most danger of at the present time. We'll have to deal with him later. Some one has injured him enough that he's not attacking right now. It's our best chance of escape." He was about to get to his feet and pull Cordelia up when he heard a whistling sound and looked upward. He barely managed to grab Cordelia and roll out of the way as a huge ice shard came crashing down, splintering the deck and throwing both he and Cordelia away from Lorne and Crys. He felt himself slipping and reached out desperately to grab anything, never letting go of Cordelia at a single instant.

"Lorne, you have to listen to me! My ice could keep them from drowning, but that wouldn't do any good as long as he's still there! I know you don't want them to die, and that's what's going to happen to every one here if you don't let me go!"

"We're doomed any way. It wasn't your fault, but if we let you go and he takes your powers, it will be. Help me to fight against him, Crys. We can beat him."

She hated to trick him but knew that she had to. "I can't fight him with you all laying on top of me! I wouldn't necessarily have to give myself into him, Lorne, but I could lead him away. That would give you and the others enough time to save everybody."

"I'm not letting you go, Crys! You might could fool others, but you can't fool me." He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Angel's hand finally catch and hold on to a piece of the ship's railing. He saw Angel pulling himself back up piece by piece.

Crystal was also watching Angel, and she knew that once the two men were reunited, there would again be no way in Hell for her to break free. "Lorne," she breathed, "I can feel him. I know what he's thinking, and I know the worst has yet to come. It's about . . . to get . . . very . . . cold . . . " Her eyes were closed, and her breathing grew even more shallow as a thin sheet of ice began to spread between their bodies.

Angel looked at Cordelia's eyes and was relieved to find them partially open. "Stay with me, Cordy. Do not go to sleep. Talk to me."

"A-Angel?" Her voice was weak, and she trembled from the cold. "W-Wh-What's g-going o-on? T-Th-The o-o-others . . . A-Are t-th-they -- ?"

"We're under attack, darling. Don't know who's with us and who's passed. Just don't let go of me, because I don't want to lose you. Crys is here, and so's Lorne. We'll take care of you." He had almost reached Lorne and Crys again when the ship heaved upward and blew part of the deck outward, tossing all of them into the water. Lorne did not let go of Crys even when they were in the water but began to swim as hard as he could, hoping that somewhere in this madness would be a piece of land or a big rock that they could get on and somehow be saved. They began to be buffeted about by huge icy waves, and they tried desperately to stay afloat. A huge wave washed over their heads, forcing them further under where they could not breathe.


Jack could see the wheel but feared that he would never reach it. The Pearl was coming apart all around him. It brought back memories of a storm of another time where he had almost died. In fact, the rest of the crew had perished. That had been the same night that he had seen his father killed with his own eyes. He had only been four, and their ship had been attacked by vicious militia. Though his father, the Captain, had led his men in a brave defense, they were defeated completely and slaughtered just as the storm had grown into a full-blown hurricane. He had been found but not killed; instead, they had held him and forced him to watch the others.

As the icy winds whipped through him, Jack could still hear the evil Captain's last words to his beloved father, telling him that his son was theirs and would live to know all the horrors they had to offer. Jack had tried to fight back against his captors until one of them had finally knocked him unconscious. In present time, Jack raised a hand to feel the spot on his face where the man's fist had crashed into.

Will had continued toward the wheel, not realizing at first that Jack was no longer with him. When he did, he dug his heels into the ship and twirled back to look at Jack. He seemed to be simply standing there, but the look on his face chilled Will's very heart. "JACK!" he called to him over the roar of the wind.

Jack heard Will and gave himself a mental shake. He began to head toward where Will and the wheel were. As he almost made it, the huge main mast broke apart and came falling downward toward him. It caught across the top of the ship, but the cracking sound snapped into Jack's mind as though it was a whip laid across his back. He started an uncontrollable trembling and then began to whimper. Though his body remained there in the present, his mind was caught back in his past, and he felt the blows of yesteryears as though they then rained upon him again. The strong winds blew him until he fell against Will, who was frantically trying to get to him.

Will was so afraid for his beloved and the change that had come over him that his own heart pounded in his ears louder than any sound from the storm. He had desperately been trying to get to Jack but had been being blown back when the wind actually blew Jack straight into him. Will caught him instantly and held on to him tightly. "Jack? Jack, what's wrong!"

Jack did not hear Will but fought against the barrier he presented. Will did not know what was wrong and did not want to let Jack go, but Jack finally managed to free himself. Once free, he fell to the deck. Will started to descend after him but was stopped when Jack threw his arms around his legs, holding on as though he was drowning and Will was his one anchor and chance to survive. Jack continued to make moaning, whimpering sounds.

Will was at a lost. He ached to be able to help Jack but knew neither what had happened to him nor how to help him. He tried to reach down to Jack, but his weight on his legs sent him stumbling back. His back collided with the wheel, and Will leaned against it as he again tried to reach out to Jack. This time, he managed to touch his shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly. "Jack? Sweetheart, what's wrong!"

Locked in a world of nightmares, the only answer that came was a whimper.

Will continued to try to get some kind of answer from Jack while the ship continued going down around them. As he was finally forced to realize that Jack was too far gone and he could not help him at that time, he also realized that he could at least aid the vessel that Jack cared so deeply about. No, he had to remind himself, that Jack loved. He thought the ship was his family and freedom, and it was going to pieces all around them. Could that be what had overtaken his love's senses? Will did not know but turned from Jack to face the wheel instead. Taking it in his hands, he began to do his best to steer the ship through the storm. It was a good thing that he had watched Jack with it so many times as that was the only reason why he had any idea whatsoever how to handle it.

Though Jack clung to Will's leg so tightly that the circulation had cut off, Will continued desperately trying to steer the Pearl through the ever-raging storm. He heard a tearing, ripping sound and looked up just in time to find the main mast falling over them. He never had a chance to save Jack or himself . . .


Prue had managed to reach the galley and was holding tightly to the Book as she made her way back to the sleeping quarters. The ship was moving, trembling, and she feared that it was going to open and swallow her at any moment. When it had pitched upward and then came back down again, she had almost fallen backward off of it, but as it had settled back down, she had been thrown forward and had fallen into a huge hole made by an ice shard.

She screamed and was hanging on desperately with one hand. She could not let go of the Book and knew that she could not hold on for very long. She prayed that help would come, and it was at that moment that a howl met her ears. "Brendan?" her trembling voice called out to her love. Was he in danger? Was he dying? She knew she'd never know. "I love you, Brendan!" she called out, thinking those would be her last words as she felt her hand slipping.


Brendan had barely reached the deck of the Sea Witch when the ship had surged upwards. He had seen Prue but then lost sight of her in his mad scramble to stay aboard. As the ship settled again, it took him a moment to find her. When he did, he could only see one hand trying frantically to maintain its grip on the side of a huge hole. He started forward even as her words met his ears and he saw her fingers lose their grip. Without a single thought more, he burst into full speed, wolfing as he ran and, for the first time, not feeling the pain.

She felt herself falling. Clutching the Book against her chest, she closed her eyes and waited for her fate.

Brendan did not slow as he reached the hole. Instead, he leapt into it and caught Prue against him as he fell. Reaching out to the tattered deck that hung around them, he dug his claws in to slow their descent.

The screech of his claws as he dug desperately in at the wood, trying to get a hold, hurt Prue's ears. She threw her arms around him, trapping the Book between their bodies. "We have to keep it safe," she told him even as she realized that he was in full wolf form and would probably not understand what she was telling him. She opened her eyes and tried to talk to him in the lupine language.

A piercing gaze from yellow eyes met Prue's look. "We have to keep you safe," he growled at her even as he began to climb upwards. As she was now hanging onto his neck, his hands were free so that he could use both sets of claws.

Prue knew that the Book was safe and would not fall out. Happiness glowed in her eyes a moment as she realized that Brendan knew what she was saying. She could talk to him! Best of all, he was managing to climb out and she felt that they would make it! "We have to keep this Book safe, Brendan. It's full of magic. It belongs to my family. We have to save them! Thank you for coming after me." She could not help the feeling of sensualness that flowed through her veins at his mere touch even while in wolf form.

The wolf grunted. He could make out just enough of what she was saying to know that she was overly concerned with the thick Book thrust between them and her pack. He couldn't care less about any wad of papers; all he cared about was protecting her. The wolf never stopped to wonder why he felt so strongly for this human even as he continued climbing upward.

When they had reached the top, Prue lay on her side, still holding on to Brendan. She was breathing deeply and was both relieved and very thankful that they had made it out alive. She reached up and brushed the fur on his face. "I love you, Brendan," she said in the lupine language. "I need to get to my family. Can you take me there?"

Brendan blinked upward at the woman even as he grunted again. What was it about her touch that set him on fire, and what was this "love" thing she talked about? The wolf grunted again, choosing not to speak, as he rolled them together to their feet. Slinging her around, he put her on his back and was about to take off in search of scents that he knew should smell similar to hers.

Prue reminded him, "The Book! We must have the Book!"

The wolf grunted and bristled. Why was she so damned concerned about some stupid Book? Then he stopped himself with another question: And why did he care what she was concerned over? He didn't know the answer to either question even as he started to turn around for the Book. His paw closed around the Book, but before he could straighten again, a huge wave washed over them, throwing them both overboard. Prue clung to Brendan, and he kept one hand on her much smaller hands and the other on the Book.


The ice that had been forming between Lorne and Crystal simply vanished as she felt his grip loosen and the water begin to pull him away from her. Her eyes opened, and she turned her face so that she could see him. She could see nothing in the dark waters and reached for the crystal. As her fingers closed around its surface, she concentrated, sending a simple message out to her cousin. Jack, she thought, you're so full of it.

She could hear the teasing grin in his mental tone. Needed the crystal, huh, cuz?

Just talk to me.

As he obliged her, Crystal's horror grew at the bodies she saw floating in the water. Her heart nearly stopped beating as Lorne, Angel, and even her babies were all pulled more swiftly away from her. Even in their unconscious state, Angel still clung to Cordelia and Lorne was still reaching for her. She knew she needed to let them go if they were to ever again have a chance of living, but she also knew that she could not let them drown. She could not even bare the thought of any harm befalling them, let alone their deaths.

Crystal's ice blue eyes narrowed even more as she concentrated again. Jack continued to babble in her mind, and she tried to focus on his words as well in a desperate attempt to keep herself from giving in to the urge to close her eyes, fall asleep, and just let the whole world go away. Her lungs ached for air, but still she concentrated, watching the sheets of ice form underneath the bodies and praying to any God or Goddess that might listen that it would not be too late.


Angel watched Crys without giving himself away, wondering what she would do. Now would be her chance to get away. If she didn't truly care about them, she would do just that, leaving them to drown. He willed himself to lay completely still and was glad for once to be a Vampire since he didn't have to breathe. He knew he would have to get them out of there quickly, but he also knew that she could get them out even faster than he could. He felt a sheet of ice forming underneath them and knew that it would rise them swiftly to the surface. How long it would last once they reached there, he didn't know, but he hoped it would be enough time that he could get Cordelia somewhere safe.

Lorne had been fighting to get himself back to himself so that he could get out of the water, but his body had not been responding very well. He was relieved to feel the sheet of ice forming underneath him, but he realized that Crys, who was just out of his reach, wasn't on a sheet of ice. Was she sacrificing herself for them? She was the first woman he had ever met who was so totally Hellbent on sacrificing herself for the good of others, and he just didn't know how to handle it. The sheet of ice drifted slightly toward Crys, and when it dipped, it allowed Lorne to grasp her wrist and pull her aboard. He clung tightly to her, feeling her slipping away and not knowing how to stop her.

The ice under the animals was shooting skyward, and he knew his would go quickly too. "Crys, hang on. Do not leave me," he spoke softly even as he stroked her wrist gently where he held her.

Crystal was still concentrating on the ice to save the others but knew that the water was getting the better of her. She could barely hear Lorne's words, and they seemed to come from miles away. Her lips parted in an attempt to answer him, but she inhaled water instead.

As soon as the ice they were riding on broke the surface, Lorne breathed a sigh of relief and returned his body to normal activity. He had had to suspend himself in order to handle being underwater. He now heard sounds of popping and looked around, seeing other blocks of ice coming to the surface, bearing people and animals. He had no ideal how many were out there floating on ice blocks, but he knew Crys was responsible. "Thank you, Crys. Rest now." He stroked her forehead. He did not know how long it would take them to reach shore or even if they would, but he knew that Crys had done her very best for every one.


Angel looked around at all the blocks of ice. He had known Crys was powerful but not how powerful. This was very impressive, he thought. He glanced over at her where she lay still and hoped that she would be all right. His sister was turning out to be quite the remarkable woman, and a warm spot glowed in his heart for her. He cuddled Cordelia closer to him, wishing he had body heat to give her and hoping that they would soon reach land of any sort.


Autolycus fought bravely at the Sea Witch's wheel, but he knew it was a losing battle. His heart had grown heavy when he had witnessed the loss of the other two ships, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the Sea Witch went down. It seemed that the only crew still aboard was himself and Elizabeth wherever she had gotten to. He hoped that the others had not perished and that Xena had managed to reach Gabrielle in time.

The Sea Witch pitched forward and then stood up on end, the gale winds never letting her rest. Everything left on the ship slid straight toward Autolycus. He yelped and hung even tighter on the wheel. He saw Piper Halliwell and Cole Turner sliding down straight toward him. He made a mad grab at Piper but missed her, and Cole was too far away for him to even make an attempt to save him. Just before they fell off the Witch, he saw Cole reach out to Piper, she grab his hand, and then he shimmer them. He wished them the best of luck that they would make it somewhere safe.

He heard screams and then saw Elizabeth sliding straight toward him. At the same time, a chest that he recognized from Xena's chambers came sliding even faster toward him. Should he grab the treasure or the woman? he asked himself. He let go of the wheel and made a mad grab for both. He actually had both in hand when he realized that he didn't have a free hand to grab onto anything to save them.

With a deep sigh of regret, he relinquished the treasure and managed to grab part of the railing even as the ship began to descend and splinter as it came down, falling all around the bodies that had just been washed up. As the ship fell and more bodies, having fallen through the sleeping quarters' doors came spilling past them, the railing broke in Autolycus' hand, casting both he and Elizabeth into the abyss below. Screams split the night sky . . .

The End ?