Chapter Four

Wolverine was relieved that he had finally found Jack and Will. He had been about to reach down and check their breathing when he saw Will's eyes open.

Will came to slowly. The first thing he was aware of was the bright light piercing his eyes open; the next was a heavy weight on his legs that took him back to remembering Jack's strangeness right before he had been knocked unconscious. His lips parted as he tried to call Jack's name, but it was not Jack's face that he saw when his vision finally cleared. He looked up at Wolverine in confusion.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Will. Is anything broke?" he asked in concern.

Will was not concerned for himself. "Jack," he managed to rasp out in a weak voice even while struggling against the weight on his legs in an attempt to sit up.

Wolverine walked over and grasped Jack's arms that were gripping Will's legs so tightly. "Jack? I know you're in there. Let go of Will. You're okay; you didn't drown." He continued to talk softly to Jack who finally opened his eyes and stared right through Wolverine. He didn't say anything, but he did finally let go of Will's legs. He then clung to Wolverine. "Jack, you're safe. You can let go now. You're not going to drown." Jack finally let go of Wolverine and just sat, not saying anything. The look in his eyes was that of a terrified man.

Will had been fighting against his legs in a desperate attempt to be able to reach Jack. Even with his beloved's weight off of them, they were continuing to refuse his brain's commands, and he could not seem to wake them. In sheer frustration, he pulled his way to Jack on his elbows instead. "Jack?" he asked, reaching out to touch him. "What's wrong, love?"

Wolverine answered as Jack continued to sit and then began to rock back and forth. "He's locked in one of his nightmares. He gets them when we have a bad storm an' he's not unconscious from drinking. That's one o' the reasons he drinks so much rum, but lately, it's just gotten too much out o' hand. It's controllin' him instead of him controllin' it. Let me help you get to your feet so you can walk some. Once ya walk, your legs will wake up. They'll hurt like Hell, but at least, they'll do what you tell them to do."

"My legs can wait." Will pulled himself further until he was at last able to look into Jack's face. "Jack, I don't know what kind of Hell you've been put through, but I'm here and so's Wolverine." He reached out, caressing Jack's face with a touch as gentle as a feather. "I'm here," he repeated, "and I love you. I won't let anything hurt you."

Jack stopped rocking. He looked at Will but still didn't say anything. "They killed him," he spoke several seconds later. "He's dead." Tears began to run down his face. "I've got to hide! They'll kill me!" He began to try to crawl away, and Wolverine reached down and touched him.

"It's okay, Jack. Will and I will take care of you. They're not gonna find you. They're not gonna hit you ever again. Lay down and sleep a little while. We'll watch over you." Jack listened intently to Wolverine. He laid down and curled up into a tight, little ball.

"He'll wake up again in a few minutes," Wolverine said, "and more than likely, won't remember any of this. You and I need to talk, Will. I was never expecting the nightmare that this has become. I had hopes of talking to you an' telling you some o' Jack's problems. Let me help you up an' we can walk just a little bit." He was worried about the young man's circulation and didn't want anything to mess his legs up. He knew Will would have to be 100 to be able to handle Jack's problems.

"I won't leave him," Will told Wolverine stubbornly, his eyes fixed on Jack.

"An' neither will I. We will be close enough to touch him."

Will remained on the ground next to Jack. He knew Wolverine had his best intention in mind, but he didn't want to move from him. It was then that he felt himself lifted up. Looking down at the ground, he tried not to panic, but when his legs hung downwards, he was set very gently back down. Only now, he was standing.

Wolverine smiled up at 'Ro. He knew she couldn't see him, but he was thankful for her interference. Will was a stubborn young man, just as stubborn as he and Jack. "Be careful with your steps there, Will. If ya go to fall, I'll catch you. Once you can feel your legs, you an' I need to talk."

Though his legs were still asleep and he had to force them to move, Will slowly began to step. He teetered at first, but every time he started to fall, a brief gust of wind pushed him back up and kept him standing. "What in the -- ? This is the strangest wind I've ever been in!"

"It's the wind caused by 'Ro. She's takin' care o' ya. After all, we are family."

Will nodded, accepting Wolverine's statement at face value. "That's what I've been being told," he admitted, "and it does seem to be true -- that everybody on the Pearl and Witch are family."

"How are your legs, Will?" Wolverine finally asked. He was not wanting to talk and tell Jack's story, but he knew Will needed to hear it. Not very many people knew about it. At least, not the whole story.

Will nodded slowly. "They're starting to wake up." He turned worried eyes on Wolverine. "Who did that to Jack?"

"Life . . . and . . . the King's militia. Actually, they were a mixture of soldiers and Pirates who were out to do the world in and steal everything that they could. It happened when Jack was four years-old. His father was a Pirate King, and they were attacked by the militia. Although his father was the Pirate King, he was not evil, but the militia were. They destroyed every man aboard the ship, an' they made Jack watch while they killed every last one o' them, including his father. They burnt the ship an' set it adrift. He was the only one still alive. At the same time the attack was going on, a horrible hurricane whipped up. That's why storms trigger his nightmares. Only the Gods know what he was put through, because from the time he was four until he was ten, he was beaten an' toToly mistreated by the militia. He was their punching bag. It's a wonder the kid survived!"

It tore at Will's heart and soul to hear of Jack's past, and he swore to himself that should ever the time come when Jack found himself faced with a similar situation, he would stop at nothing to kill them all. But how, he thought, did Jack escape from that horrible nightmare to grow to be the wonderful man he knew him to be, the man he loved? He turned slowly to look at Wolverine with deep respect shining in his saddened eyes. "You rescued him."

"They took me capture an' killed the members on my ship when Jack was about eight. They made me their prisoner. I had no intention o' staying there, but I did have intention o' killing every man there an' rescuing Jack. It took a long time, almost two years, for my opportunity to come, and again, it was a stormy night. It seems like storms really figure into our lives."

"The Captain was huntin' Jack an' not for the first time. He had intentions o' hurtin' him. The Captain had a penchant for young men an' thought that Jack was old enough to be initiated. He tried to catch him, but Jack managed to escape him every time. This night, he decided he'd get some one to hold him down an' do to him what he had been longing to do forever."

"All eyes were intent upon the boy who fought bravely and none were upon me. They had him down an' had him stripped an' the Captain was about to plunge when I managed to get away from my jailer. I was so gripped an' so panicked an' desperate to reach the boy that four crew members were holding me an' only the Gods know what happened next. I had strained an' strained an' suddenly . . . Snikt!" He made the sound now as his claws popped out. "These lovely little jewels arrived. I don't rightly know what happened next except that I killed every damn one o' them, the Captain bein' first."

"No one was going to hurt my boy! Jack had been the only one who cared enough to bring me food, blankets when I was cold, an' he took care of me when I was sick, but he had had to hide the whole time else, if they saw him, they caught him an' either punished him or tried to have their way with him. It felt good to kill them. I threw their bodies overboard. The storm reached its zenith about that time and the blood ran rampant across the deck. Jack took one look at me an' my claws an' moved as close to me as he could. He had become like the son I never had an' I his father. We couldn't sail the ship together for it took a lot of men to do it, so we took one of the longboats and headed out. We've been together ever since."

Will was silent for a long time afterwards, trying to think of just what words to say in response to all that Wolverine had just told him. He was stunned that Jack had gone through such, and his heart ached for his beloved. "Thank you," he spoke quietly at long last, "not only for telling me as Jack probably wouldn't have, but also . . . for killing them. You know how I was when we first met. I used to think that murder was the most despicable deed and never could be called for, but that . . . Had I been there, I would have found a way to help you."

"Thanks, Will, but you're helping me now for your being with Jack is the best thing that could happen to him. Ever since that time, when it storms, Jack has problems. I don't have the cure for it. I don't know what to do to help him except to stay close, comfort him, an' hold on to him. That's one o' the reasons why he can't handle the rum. You can always tell at sea when it's going to storm, and he always got drunk on the rum where he had to sleep it off and miss the storm 'cept for one time 'bout a month ago," Wolverine said. "He was butt ass naked, hanging out on the rigging in hurricane winds, an' singing at the top o' his lungs! It took Brendan, Wolf, an' me -- all three o' us -- to get him! Then we had to tie him down for the rest o' the night. For some reason, the rum wasn't working."

Will shook his head. His eyes had been traveling what remained of the ships, but now they turned back to Jack. "He doesn't need the rum any more. That stuff destroys the best of men, and we won't let it do that to him. We'll find a way, Wolverine," he stated confidently, his eyes turning back to the man who he now realized to be Jack's father. "He's got family. He's got us, and we will find a way to free him of his past."

Jack stirred, moaned, and opened his eyes. The bright glare of the sun made him close them immediately. "Will?" he called out his name softly.

Will dropped down next to Jack as soon as he realized that he was coming to. He touched his shoulder gently as he assured him, "I'm right here, love."

Jack sat up, reached out, and grabbed Will, hugging him close. "We made it!" he said with a grin. His grin turned to a frown, and then he looked like his heart was going to break. "Where are the ships?" he asked.

"'Fraid I ain't got good news on that," Wolverine answered. "All three o' them are gone."

"Not the Pearl!" Jack cried.

Will's heart ached even more at the tears he knew Jack was fighting back. "Yes," he spoke softly, "the Pearl, too. I'm sorry, Jack. I know what it . . . what she meant to you. But," he added before either man could speak again, "I want you to stop and think about something. What did she mean to you, exactly? Freedom? Family? Home?"

"All of that," Jack said, "but I know I still have family and my freedom. My home is gone!"

"No," Will spoke gently but firmly, "it's not. It's right here, Jack. Home is where the heart is, and that's where your family is. And we're all right here."

"We'll rebuild her," Jack declared. "We can't stay here. We don't even know where we are or what kind of dangers are here!"

"Haven't found any yet," Wolverine announced, "but I'm ready. Thought I saw one, but he and his crew were actually the ones who unburied us."

"Who? And where's their ship?" Jack asked.

Will looked up at Wolverine, slight confusion showing in his face. "The man with the hook?" he guessed.

"Yes. The man with the hook. His name is Captain James Hook. He says he knows you, Jack."

"I don't know him," Jack said. "At least, I don't think so. We should go and see him and find out where his ship is." He was still holding tightly to Will even as he got to his feet.


Ororo had watched Wolverine and Will until Will had appeared to have finally regained control of his legs. Then, even though she had been far enough away from them to keep from overhearing their conversation, she had let them be and headed in search of her girls. It did not take her long to find them, and she dropped down behind Phoebe and Piper, surprising the two who had not seen her as they were too busy looking for Cole with a hug.

Though Phoebe jumped slightly in surprise at the unwarned touch, Piper knew whose arms were around her instinctively. She returned Ororo's hug. "Thank Gods you made it through that!"

Prue smiled up at her Aunt 'Ro. "I'm glad to see you, Aunt 'Ro. I was worried about you, but I couldn't leave Brendan to go look for you. He hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Ororo released Piper and Phoebe to move over to Prue. She caressed her face with a gentle hand, then hugged her reassuringly. "It's all right, Prue. I saw him earlier. He was having a little . . . difficulty . . . but he'll be fine when he comes to."

"I hope it's soon!" Prue said even as she hugged 'Ro back. "Have you seen the Captains?"

"I have. Jack hasn't fully come to yet, but Xena and Gabrielle seem to be fine." She gestured toward the shore where the two were sitting together, talking and looking out to sea.

"How many . . . didn't make it, Aunt 'Ro?"

Ororo had expected the question to come and was not surprised that Prue proved to be the one to ask it. "I don't know yet," she answered her truthfully. "Not every one has awakened yet."

"Brendan will be wanting to help them as soon as he comes around." She glanced toward the group of people who were still not conscious and saw that Doctor Doom was racing amongst them, trying to help them, with Fred hot on his heels. She knew that they would need a lot of help.

Ororo followed Prue's gaze. "I should help them where I can. Will you girls be all right here?"

"I can help, too," Piper added, pushing herself to her feet.

"I'll be fine. When Brendan wakes up, we'll come and help too."

Phoebe looked at them. "I suppose I could help. So can Paige," she volunteered her sister.

Piper rolled her eyes heavenward. What had gotten into her younger sisters? "Of course you two can help!" she replied, pulling Phoebe to her feet. She glanced down at their men. Carl was still out, but Joxer was sitting back up, looking around in confusion.

"I know; I know," he started. "Don't 'Joxer' anything!"

"Actually," Piper returned, "I was going to say you could help too."

Prue looked around and caught sight of several cooking utensils. She looked at Joxer. "Go get those. We can probably use them." When he had returned with them, they turned out to be pots. "Do we have any fresh water? I'm sure those who are awake will want something to drink. I know I do. With water everywhere and not a drop to drink, I feel like I am completely perishing!" Her sisters nodded in agreement.

"Joxer," Ororo again took charge, "line the pots out. Girls, cup your hands together like this." She demonstrated for them, and as they began to do as she told them to, small clouds began appearing over their hands and the pots. Gentle rain fell from each cloud.

Prue drank her fill and then tried to get some to Brendan's lips. She managed a few drops. She wished for a cup, but for now, her hands would have to do. She continued to drop a few drops of water on his lips, wishing he would wake soon.

When the pots had filled, Ororo turned her attention back to the girls. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were satisfied but were trying to figure out how to get rid of the clouds. Ororo waved them away with a motion of her hand, then turned to look at Prue. She smiled as she saw her doing her best to get Brendan some water, then noticed that he was beginning to come to. Prue's attention was fixed on Brendan alone, and Ororo gestured to Joxer and the girls to come away from there and give them a moment together. Joxer and Phoebe were the first to head off, Joxer drinking deeply of a pot and Phoebe carrying another. Piper picked up a pot but noticed that Paige was still standing. She grabbed her sister by the arm and dragged her off with her. Ororo walked away quietly just as Brendan came to.

The first thing Brendan was aware of was a gentle weight next to him and the sweetest taste on his lips. Her scent filled his senses, telling him that she was the gentle weight before he ever opened his eyes. "Prue . . . ?"

"Thank Gods, Brendan, you're awake! I was worried sick!" Her hand reached out and stroked the hair out of his face. Somehow, it always seemed to be in his eyes. She smiled at him.

Her touch shot through him like fire; he fought to ignore the instincts it arose. "What . . . What happened?" he asked her. He remembered a storm and being concerned for both Jack and her, but that was the last thing he remembered.

"You wolfed and carried me to safety or, at least, it would have been safety if the ship had not capsized. Both ships were destroyed in the storm. We were separated, but I managed to keep the Book safe! Thank the Gods! But we both would have perished without you, Brendan. Thank you." She wanted to reach out and hug him, but he was still laying on his back, looking up at her. Her blood raced at the mere look that he was giving her. She leaned down and kissed him before he could react.

Brendan had still been too confused to move when Prue had started to lean down. When he'd realized what she was about, he'd tried to roll out from under her but had not been in time to keep her lips from meeting his. Her sensual taste spread through him like wildfire, and his lips parted under hers. His hand came up to cup around her head as he drank more deeply of her. Fur began to spread over his body.

Prue felt the fur begin to cover him and pulled back, her eyes meeting his. She did not exactly want to have it out in the open here, but if he was ready, she was willing.

Brendan could feel the changes starting even as he longed for more of Prue. His eyes shifted, transforming from brown to yellow, and he rolled to his feet in a near panic. "I have to go," the words came out in a howl.

"Figured as much!" Prue said, crossing her arms across her chest and watching as he began to run away. "But remember this, Brendan! You were in wolf form when you saved me!" She hoped he could hear her.

Brendan's mind sped even faster than his heart. He had been in wolf form? Had managed to control the beast and rescue Prue? But if that were true, why couldn't he remember it? Still, he could feel the changes swiftly overtaking him. Another howl let loose from his mouth as the transformation drew near close.

Jack heard Brendan's mouth howl. "DAMN IT!" he bellowed. "Will, do the honors!" He handed Will the silver cane. "Hit him across the back of the head; just leave him where he lays. He'll wake up back to himself." He knew he was not in any shape to chase after Brendan, but yet the wolf had to be put down. Where the heck was Wolf himself! he thought. Must be at Elvira again!

Will knew there was no time to hesitate as Jack handed him the cane. He was still at a lost as to what to make of the indisputable fact that Brendan was a Werewolf, but he would do as Jack asked. He only hoped the cane truly would knock Brendan out. Clutching the weapon tightly in his hand, Will took off after the wolf.

Angel looked up at the sound of Brendan's howl. He sprinted after Will, hoping to catch Brendan before he did something wrong.

As Will was closing in on Brendan, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Slowing only long enough to look back, he saw Angel coming and was relieved to know that he was not alone in facing the creature that was Brendan's horrorific true nature. It was then that the wolf turned around, and its yellow eyes narrowed in on Prue.

Will yelled. The Werewolf's head snapped up, and he turned to face his opponent. Will swung the cane, but the wolf caught it a mere second before it could strike its intended mark. Long claws closed around the cane, then threw both it and the man who held it. Will flew through the air until he collided with something hard and went down in a tumbling heap of himself, the cane, and Angel.

The wolf turned back to again look at Prue. Its tongue ran over its glistening fangs as it stepped closer to her.

Prue was not afraid. She stood looking at Brendan's wolf and spoke to him in the lupine language. "Shame on you for being such a bad boy! I hope you didn't hurt Will or Angel! You are being a bad, bad boy! Why won't you be a good boy? Come here and let Momma scratch your head."

The Werewolf cocked its head as it listened to the human woman before him speaking his language. He did not respond verbally but began to quickly close in on her. She wanted to scratch his head? She could, but then she could also scratch something else!

Jack realized that maybe it had not been such a good thing to send the boy after the wolf. Angel could not respond since he was on the bottom of Will and the cane. Jack could not stop Brendan's wolf without the cane, and now Brendan's wolf was coming onto Prue! Could things get any worse! he wondered. Looking around quickly, he hoped to spy some one who could help with the situation. He finally gave up looking and yelled, "'RO! LIGHTNING, PLEASE!"

Ororo's head jerked up at the sound of Captain Sparrow calling for her. She looked toward him and then at the situation he was gawking at. Her blue eyes narrowed, flashing as fiercely as her lightning. She knew Brendan had no control over his wolf, but how dare the creature go after her goddaughter! Thunder blasted in the sky as she flew upwards, snatching the Werewolf up with a gust of wind. "Piper," she called down, "see to your sister!"

Piper could hardly believe what she was seeing but knew that Prue needed her. She thrust the pot she was carrying to Paige, then ran after Prue even as Ororo whisked Brendan higher into the sky. She did not want Prue to have to see what she was about to do, so a thick fog began to grow at that same second.

"DON'T YOU HURT HIM, AUNTIE 'RO!" Prue yelled upward to where she could see 'Ro quickly disappearing with Brendan. "BRENDAN WOULDN'T HURT ME! HE CAN'T HELP THE WOLF!"

Jack had finally managed to get there with Wolverine's help. He was beginning to think his body was betraying him as he felt like an old man. He reached down and touched Will, rolling him off of Angel. He knelt beside him and pulled him into his arms. "Wake up, Will! Please be all right! I was an idiot to send you after Brendan! Please forgive me!" If anything had hurt his baby, it would kill him, especially to know he had sent him after Brendan because he couldn't go! Will had been an innocent; he should have sent Wolverine!


Ororo and Brendan vanished behind a blanket of thick fog even as Piper reached Prue. "She won't hurt him, Prue. You know that. You know how she is. But he has to be handled. And just what were you thinking! Why didn't you run!"

"It's Brendan, Piper! Why would I run? Sooner or later, his wolf has to listen! I was talking to him in the lupine language! He seemed to be understanding."

"Prue, that is not Brendan," Piper tried to explain as gently as she could. "I know it's his body, but when the wolf is out, it's not him. It's the beast."

"Brendan's in there somewhere, Piper. He wouldn't let the beast hurt me. He saved me and the Book, and he was in wolf form then!"

Piper gazed at her sister, clearly stunned. "He actually had control?"

"Yes, but he says he doesn't remember it!"

"Do you know what happened to make him wolf?"

"This time or the first time?"

Piper's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Both times."

"Not the first time, but I kissed him this time."

"Prue!"

"Every time I kiss him, he wolfs!"

"Precisely!"

"Well, every time you kiss Cole, he shimmers!"

"Actually, not every time I . . . Wait a minute!" Piper exclaimed. "This isn't about Cole and me! This is about Brendan and you! Cole is still himself when he shimmers, but Brendan is not the same man when he wolfs!"

"If I don't keep trying to work with his wolf, I'm never going to get through to him. I think it's something that he and I can beat together, but you have to give me a chance to talk to the wolf!"

"So he can eat you!"

"Well, I don't think it was eating he was wanting! At least, that wasn't what was rolling off of him in waves!"

"Prue Halliwell!"

"Well, it wasn't! I told him I'd scratch his head; he wanted me to scratch something else!" She blushed and would not meet Piper's eyes.

Piper tried to calm herself even as she attempted to reason with Prue. "Did he tell you what that something else was?"

"Piper! I'm not that naive!"

"Not with men," Piper admitted, realizing at long last where her younger sisters had gotten their sexual activities from. "But that's not a man you were dealing with! That's a wolf, a Werewolf! You don't know that . . . that's what he was wanting scratched! It could have been . . . something else!"

"We have to do it together when he's in wolf form," she finally told Piper. "The wolf seems to know that. He actually seems eager for it! I'm nervous about it, and Brendan is running like Hell away from it!"

Piper stared at Prue for a long time, her mouth hanging open but no sound coming out. She couldn't deal with this; she was far too far out of her league. She looked up, but Ororo was still hidden with the wolf. "Phoebe!" she cried in exasperation. "Your turn!"

"Really?" Phoebe asked, clearly surprised. She thrust her pot into Joxer's chest, then ran off to join her sisters. Once she reached them, she asked, "My turn for what?"

"I hate to say it," Piper admitted with a sigh, "but you've got far more sexual expertise than I do." She waved a hand at Prue. "Have at it." Shaking her head, she walked off.

Prue watched as Piper walked off. "I don't need any help out of you, Phoebe! Go back to Joxer! Piper's just upset!"

"She called me for a reason," Phoebe replied. "Now what is it?"

"Like I'm really gonna tell you! You're a kid!"

"I AM NOT A KID!" Phoebe bellowed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and stomping her foot in the sand.

"If the shoe fits, wear it!" Prue returned and stomped off herself in search of Jack.

"ALL THIS JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GET SCREWED BY A WOLF!" Phoebe yelled after her sister.

Prue turned around and yelled back at Phoebe. "SHUT UP ABOUT THAT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"I KNOW MORE ABOUT IT THAN YOU DO!" Phoebe responded, promptly offering her eldest sister a raspberry.

Prue marched back to where her sister was standing. "I don't need you to tell the whole world about it! What do you know about it?"

Phoebe grinned. "That's better!" She glanced around. "But if you don't want the whole world to know about it, maybe we should go off a pace first?"

"Where?" Prue asked.

"How about over there?" Phoebe pointed to another section of the beach that seemed empty of any one as yet.

Prue headed there immediately with Phoebe hot behind her. "So tell me about it, Miss Know It All!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Look. Not everybody knows everything about that. I don't care how good they claim to be; they still don't know everything." Sitting down, she looked up at Prue in all seriousness. "First of all . . . Are you a virgin?"

"Are you kidding! Only Piper's a virgin!"

"That's a relief!" Phoebe admitted with a grin. "The wolf's going to be bigger; I've seen that already. But that's only part of the problem, and I think you'll probably be able to figure that out for yourself when you get there. After all, you are a Halliwell." She winked at her sister. "But seriously, Auntie 'Ro and Piper have a point. So do you," she quickly continued on before Prue could explode on her. "You need to be able to talk to him, but you can't do that unprotected. You need privacy, too, but what good will it do you to try to talk to him only to have him actually eat you?"

"Brendan won't eat me!" Prue declared again. "He just thinks he will!"

"Maybe he will; maybe he won't. But he's not the only one who thinks that, and you're not going to get any privacy with the wolf unless you . . . What's the word I'm looking for? Accommodate? Yeah, that sounds right. But if you don't make the others think you'll be able to protect yourself against him, you're not going to get anywhere. They won't let you."

"So what do you suggest I do? I'm willing to try anything if it helps."

Phoebe thought for a moment. "You can't protect yourself without a weapon. I know wolves have a thing with silver, but we can't exactly get a hold of any of that." She thought a moment more before finally suggesting, "Maybe if you could borrow the Captain's cane?"

"Right now, Jack's probably going to eat me if I speak to him," Prue said. "Nobody has to tell him that I kissed Brendan and that the boy wolfed. Every time Brendan wolves, Jack blames me."

"Well, he shouldn't!"

"Usually, it is my fault, Phoebe. I don't mean things to happen, but they just sort of do between Brendan and me. I can't keep my hands off of him."

"But that's not your fault! It's his fault for being so darned cute that you can't help yourself!"

"Excuses are only good for those who give them, Phoebe. I know I'm to blame."

"You're never going to get that cane if you agree with Jack on that."

"Maybe you could get it?" Prue suggested. "You're good at doing things like that."

"Hmm." Phoebe rubbed her jaw in thought, her eyes turning back to where the Captain was clinging to Will. "You know, I probably could, but it'll have to wait until things have settled down somewhat. And you don't exactly want Brendan to know you have it either, you know."

"You don't mind helping me?" Prue asked. "All Piper wants to do is run away from the situation, but I do need help."

"Piper means well," Phoebe told her, "but she's a virgin. Gods know how she's managed to keep it so straight-laced, but she has. She doesn't know what to do with things like this. I think that's why she called me." She stood to look at her eldest sister straight in the face. "And, Prue, I know I come off like a spoiled brat a lot of the time because I want things my way and I want them like that right then, but I'm your sister. Of course I'll help you!"

Prue hugged Phoebe. "Thanks!"

"What are sisters for?" Phoebe replied while returning her hug.

"How are you and Joxer getting along?" Prue asked.

"Well, he's sweet, buuut . . . "

"But what?" Prue questioned.

Phoebe frowned. "It's like being barred from a candy store!"

"You haven't! But I thought you did?" Prue asked in amazement.

"Oh, I've tried. Believe me, I've tried! But he just won't do it!"

"What's his excuse? He can't find it?"

Phoebe laughed. "No, he can find it. Well," she amended, "at least I think he can. But he's a virgin! He says that can't be until we . . . until we . . . " She shuddered.

"Until you what?"

"Get hitched?"

"Oh my Gods! But you don't want to get married! Can't you just take it away from him?"

"About as much as you can Brendan!"

"And that ain't none at all! Honey, we gotta do something with these men of ours, but I haven't the foggiest clue what!"

"We'll figure it out," Phoebe spoke determinedly, "together. We're not going to let this family fall apart -- not our sisters and not the rest of these people. But first we gotta get through to your Wolfboy."

"Well, I know what's got to be done. We've just got to trap him where he can't get away. You've got the stick so you can knock him out, but you better not watch while we're doing it!"

"As if I would! I don't want to see my sister in the bed!"

Prue reached out, offering her pinky, and Phoebe hooked hers with her sister's. They shook pinkies three times. "Together," they said as they let go. Those men wouldn't know what hit him! The Halliwells were on the prowl, and they would get their prey!

To Be Continued . . .