Chapter Seven

Though Lorne told her to open her eyes, Crystal remained silent for a while longer before finally admitting, "I . . . I'm not ready to . . . to face it again . . . "

"First of all," Lorne said, "for all the havoc that happened last night, none of us were killed. We only lost one, and that was due to her stupidity at ringing the bell. Open your eyes, sweetheart. We're all safe and sound except for the Halliwells who seem to be having a tear party. It is good for them to get that off of their chests."

Crystal was still hesitant to speak. "She . . . She was the only one? Are . . . Are you sure?"

"Yes, darling, I'm sure." He reached out and pulled her to him. "Open your eyes and look around. We're all grouped up in separate little groups. A few are wandering around, namely Jack, Wolverine, and Angel. Your Jack has left for parts unknown. Jareth has gone somewhere. Being the King of Goblins, he probably had an emergency." He stroked her back and then her hair. "Open your eyes, little darling."

She did as he requested at last but then peered around at each. She had to squint, but as she remembered her childhood training, she was able to see who was and was not on the beach. "Where's Faith?" she asked. "And . . . And Salem? And are you sure all the animals are accounted for?"

A sudden sharp click of teeth behind them made Lorne turn to look. "Here's one of them now, Crys," he assured her.

"How are you today, miss?" He clicked his teeth again.

Crystal looked behind them and was surprised to find Donkey's big, brown eyes staring into hers. "Hey, Donkey," she spoke softly, reaching out with her free hand and touching his cheek. "I still need to talk to that boy about getting you a better name."

"He's a little upset right now. He went one way; Jack went the other. I haven't been to see what the problem is yet. I'll tell him you want to see him. By the way, Faith ran off with Lex, Clark, Salem, and Dawson in tow. They're safe. Miss Kit's safe. So are all the other strays that are aboard. But I'm not sure about Sir Didymus. I can't find him anywhere or that scaredy cat Ambrosias. Nor can I find Worm or that stupid dog that calls rocks. I don't know what happened to them, but they went with Jareth."

Crystal's panic had been rising as Donkey had told her of the ones he could not find, and her voice nearly came out as a squeak. "Are . . . " She cleared her throat and tried again to speak normally. "Are you sure that they went with him, and . . . and . . . and that he's not . . . ?"

"I heard his wife fussing about his disappearance. She then proceeded to count those ugly orange and green things. She seemed to calm down when she got to the end of the count, but she was still mad. Seemed she wanted to go with him but they wouldn't let her. I don't know who they are. She said they made him disappear quite often."

Crystal looked away, her sad eyes turning to her sleeping familiars. "I hope that's all it is," she whispered.

"Jareth's not a Demon," Lorne reminded her, "but he is the Goblin King and Kings are always being snatched away for their duties."

"Yes," Crystal admitted, "but had he . . . Had he killed them, there would probably not be a trace left. You'll find none of the girl now."

"Everybody's here," Donkey informed her. "Some are still sleeping. A few are running around naked even though Katrina's put clothes on them. Can't seem to get it right. Before it was kilts; now it's some kind of a weird pair of pants made out of silk. On Brendan, of all people! The Halliwells are grieving for the loss of their family, but it looks like it's a good time for all concerned 'cause they're getting some loving in. Could be a free for all. It's a shame I don't have anybody or I could join the fun!"

"Donkey!" Crystal scolded, her eyes flashing back to him. "They're grieving for those whose deaths they probably think are their faults! There's nothing fun about that!"

"But there's kissing and hugging!" he stressed both those words.

Crys nodded, trying to take her mind off of her own problems long enough to make Donkey understand the gravity of the Halliwells' situation. "Those are being done in hopes of reassuring them, of getting their minds off of the pain in their hearts and souls . . . "

"I'm gonna go get Will! He's gonna get into trouble! He sees all that hugging and kissing, he's going to want some with Jack and he and Jack are fussing! I'm gonna go get Will! I'm gonna go get Will!" He walked off, chanting to himself, "I'm gonna go get Will! I'm gonna go get Will!" When he finally reached him, Will had his back to him and was staring up the hill in the direction Jack had supposedly gone. He snuck closer and clicked his teeth right behind Will.

Will jumped and spun around, his hand reaching for a sword that was not there. "Donkey!"

"Yeah! In the flesh! Uh-huh! It's me! I'm a Pirate! I'm bad!" Donkey bounced in time to his words.

Will looked at Donkey as though he had taken leave of what few senses the animal possessed. "Donkey," he asked suspiciously, "what have you gotten into?"

"Nothing! But the Frost lady wants to see you!"

"The Frost lady?"

"Yeah. Lorne's woman."

"Oh." Will raked his brain for a name. "Crystal, I believe?"

"Yup! Frost." He made a woofing sound as he let his breath out. "I'm big! I'm bad! I'm bold! I'm a Pirate! Come on, Will; let's go see the Frost lady!" He didn't know what Will and Jack had fussed about, but he hoped it would patch up quickly.

Will glanced back up at the hill even while asking, "Do you know what she wants?"

"You!" Donkey told him and started prancing back toward where he had left Miss Frost and Lorne. "Well, you coming?" He looked back over his shoulder at Will.

Will glanced at the hill one last time, sighed, and shook his head. He had no more started to step after Donkey than a blue boy materialized in the air in front of him. Will was so startled that he yelped in surprise, stumbled backwards, and fell down onto his rear. "Where the Hell did you come from!"

"The North Pole," Jack answered with a grin that disappeared as swiftly as he had appeared. "But I don't think it's a good idea for you to see Crys right now."

"She said she wanted to see Will," Donkey told the blue boy, "so I'm taking Will to see Crys!"

Jack took one eye off of Will to look at the talking Donkey. "Wanting to see him and needing to see him are two different things," he attempted to explain.

"Huh?" Donkey asked. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah," Will piped up. "What do you mean?"

Jack lowered himself so that he hovered in the air next to the two. "Look over there for a moment. Watch her just a second, and look at her face. Does that look like the face of one who needs to deal with . . . with a matter that can wait?"

"She looks like she's upset about something," Donkey admitted. "Maybe because I haven't got Will back over there yet?"

Jack shook his head slowly. He paused and cocked his head to one side as he looked long first at Will and then at Donkey. "You're no good," he informed Will. "He won't get anything out of her if you're there. No offense, but she doesn't know you well enough to trust you."

Will nodded slowly. "But what's the problem?" he asked.

"Not you," Jack informed him. "She'll let you know when she's ready. But you," he continued, his eyes turning back to Donkey, "the girl's got a soft spot for animals."

"So what did I do wrong?" Donkey asked in a high-pitched voice.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing, but you might be able to help Lorne." He floated far enough away that Will would not be able to hear them, then called to Donkey. "Come here, and I'll tell you what's going on."

Donkey followed him. "My boy can hear too! He knows how to keep secrets. Maybe he can help."

"Your boy," Jack told him, "means well, but he can't handle the Supernatural. Something tells me you can. At least, to a degree."

"The Superwho?"

"Did you see that thing that caused the storm last night?"

"Oh, yeah! Unfortunately . . . That was a really bad Demon. I think he was trying to wipe us out."

Jack paused, taking another long look at Donkey. Though Donkey did not know him, he knew him. He knew countless beings who would never know him, and he knew their stories. He also knew which ones could be trusted and which ones could not. "Donkey, Crys is very upset right now. That's exactly why she doesn't need to have to deal with Will at the moment. That Demon?" He looked directly into Donkey's eyes. "He's our uncle."

"Big, bad, and very, very nasty! I know he's Crys' uncle, so you and Crys are cousins? And I know he wants Crys. Donkeys got big ears. We hear everything! Just don't know what to do about the situation."

Jack let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Crystal needed all the help she could get right then, but he wasn't comfortable spilling her beans for her. "Well, if you know that," he told him, "you should know how scared she is right now. And how much she blames herself for everything that happened last night."

"But she's not to blame!" Donkey said. "Will won't hold her to blame! Jack won't hold her to blame! So she needs to stop holding herself for blame."

"But she does. The way she sees it the only reason why he went after you all was because of her so that's the only reason that girl's dead and the only reason why everybody's in the shape that they are now."

"That don't make an awful lot of sense," Donkey said. "Simply because he destroyed Port Royal and Crys wasn't nowhere near there. I think he's just out to kill anything good or bad that gets in his path. He wants to absorb their powers." He glared into Jack's eyes. "And don't stand there and tell me that he's only after her! I wasn't born yesterday! Like I said, donkeys got big ears!"

"He's not only after Crys," Jack admitted. "He'll kill anything that will further his means, but the reason he destroyed Port Royal and did what he did to you all is because he was trying to get to Crys. Crys has a very big heart, Donkey, as big as yours at least. She takes every life extremely seriously, and she holds herself to blame for each one that he kills to make her hurt."

"Well, I don't know how to help her, but I'll do anything you want me to do," Donkey told him.

"Well, for starters, right now, she really doesn't need to deal with Will. Oh, she'd love an excuse to put this off, but she needs to let it run its . . . its course. Lorne's going to try to get somewhere with her, but he might could use your help. She doesn't always listen to two-leggers all that well."

"Well, I'm not gonna interfere while she's talking to Lorne, but I'll talk to her later while she's by herself! I'll sneak up on her, and I'll . . . " He clicked his teeth. "Let her know ol' Donkey's got big ears and a big heart and wants to be her best buddy although she's probably gonna laugh in my face . . . "

Jack shook his head. "Crys isn't like that. Port Royal was full of bad people, Donkey, but do you know what grieved her the most from that island being destroyed?"

"No. What?"

"The animals. Humans aren't always good, but to her, animals always are."

"There's bad animals too!" Donkey protested. "I've met my fair share of them. Well, I'll do what I can. Right now I better get Will's mind off of her and on to other things. Maybe we should go look for Jack? Nah. Better find somewhere to sleep the night. Nah." He walked off from Jack, talking and answering his own questions.

Jack watched him go with a grin, then disappeared again.


Crystal had remained silent while watching Jack's encounter with Donkey and Will. She was not surprised that her cousin intervened and knew he only wanted the best for her, as did Lorne. Her mind turned back to the remarkable man who held her so close as he was so scared of losing her. In a way, she knew she could not blame him, but she also knew that it would be foolish for her to stay and suicide for him to keep her. She glanced to her children and saw that Blue, Elvira, and Cindy slept peacefully and were indeed unhurt even as her mind turned back to the conversation she had awakened to. "I . . . I heard you talking to Jack," she commented, breaking the silence at last. "I . . . I guess I owe you a . . . an explanation . . . " How could he still not think she wanted him?

Lorne gazed intently into her eyes. He wished he had the words to tell her what she meant to him. He didn't think that she knew how much she meant to him, but he had never been very eloquent with words. He didn't know what to stay to her now, but he did know how to listen. "Talk to me, Crys. I'll listen, but I'm not going to let you go."

His words surprised her, but she knew it was far past time for him to finally learn the entire story. Perhaps then he would finally see why he had to let her go for his own sake, not to mention for their friends' and family's, but she did not hold out much hope for that. "Lorne, I don't know how you can be so determined even in the light of what we all just went through. You keep stressing that only one died, but she was the latest on a long line that he's killed to get to me. He's not going to stop; nothing can make him stop. And besides, even if it was just one life, every life is precious. No life should be taken if . . . if at all avoidable. I didn't even know the girl, but she's dead because of me just like the rest of you will be if I don't leave."

"It's not that I want to leave," she stressed yet again. "I wish I could stay, but I long ago learned that what I want doesn't matter. It didn't matter that I wanted Blue's mother to live. It didn't matter that I wanted Mark to be safe. It didn't matter that I wanted the others to believe me so that I could awaken them to his truth before he hurts them. It didn't matter when I wanted to stay home, and it didn't matter when I found another place that I wanted to stay. It doesn't matter even now. This . . . This feeling between us, even as powerful as it is, even if we are one another's soul mates, not even that can matter. I can't let it, because if I do, you're going to end up like all the others."

"And don't tell me that the Lewises can protect us. That storm last night should have proved to you otherwise, but even if it didn't, he's still going to show up again. He always does. I'm not just making this up, and it's not just because he scares me." She paused, struggling to find the right words to continue with and giving him a chance to say something if he wanted.

"It will do me no good to argue with you, Crys. You have your mind made up that you have to sacrifice yourself for the world, but I whole-heartedly disagree with you. There are others here who disagree with you, including your cousin. He knows of some one who can stop him. So do you, and you won't have to sacrifice yourself. I am willing to go with you to see Big Red, and if all of the rest are also willing . . . He has to listen to some of us, especially if he is as y'all say and knows everything. He knows our hearts and that we would not lie on such an important matter. True you tried to tell him and he would not have any of it, but it's been a long time since you've been home and I think it's worth trying to see and talk to him again. You don't know what's happened there since you've been gone. Big Red's not stupid. By now, You-Know-Who has probably made some screw-up errors somewhere. All I want from you is your word that you will not leave until you have given all of us a chance to hear your story, make their own decision of rather or not they want to go, and give us a chance to go and visit Big Red. If he is still being stubborn and not wanting to stop this thing, then I will stop fighting you. I will let you do as you wish." He grew silent, waiting to hear her next words.

She was not surprised that Jack had told Lorne of Big Red and the one chance in a million that Father Christmas might actually be able to stop Frostbite. The boy never had been able to keep the cat in the bag unless that cat was named Frostbite. What did surprise her, however, was his last words. "Lorne," she protested sadly, her eyes raising to his, "you still don't get it. If I had a choice, a real choice that wouldn't get any one killed, I would love to be able to stay with you. Do you really think that I want to give what we have up? Do you really think that I wouldn't like to be able to have a real family again? And what about my children? Do you honestly think I want to just walk away on them? I do what I do, because I don't want any of you dieing, not because it's what I want to do but because it's what I have to do to keep you alive."

"Right now, you don't have to do it to keep us alive. We are protected. The islands are masked. Jareth and Delvira actually scored a hit on him. They hurt him, and he has gone off to lick his wounds. We can't get off this island, but due to the mask on it, he doesn't even know it's here. We may not have a long time, but we have time. If we go right away once we are rescued to Big Red, we should still have time to outwit You-Know-Who."

"How do you know we're masked?" she asked him, her eyes searching his. "And please don't tell me because it's a Lewis spell," she added. "You know the last one didn't work."

"They thought we were safe and removed the last one. They will not remove this one as the latter proved to be so disastrous."

"So are we masked now by one of their spells or by something else?"

"I know they have both enacted spells to mask the island."

"It did work before," Crystal had to admit, "when we were leaving Port Royal, but if I'm staying, they can not take them down again. Not while I'm here."

"I watched while they did the spells. They were very upset about the disastrous results of removing the last. They will not be in a hurry to take these off, but we can ask them to make sure."

She nodded, and her mind turned back to his proposed deal. "Lorne, if I even tell the others, rather they want to go or not, just telling them will endanger their lives."

"Then we will only tell those that we think will want to go -- Angel, Jack, Wolverine -- and let them choose the others. They are wise beyond their years. I admire all of them greatly. They will know what to do."

Crystal shook her head. "They may be wise," she told him, "but they're blinded in this case. Angel's as stubborn as you are when it comes to not letting me go, and Jack and Wolverine both feel they owe me for healing their beloveds."

"We might need help, Crys, on the journey. You tell me who you want to tell if not those three."

She paused, considering his words. She still wasn't sure if she should tell any of them, but she had already placed them in the greatest peril imaginable to her. She owed them all, and once Frostbite learned of their presences on the ships, he would stop at nothing to do them in. "He's going to want them all dead regardless now," she told him, "and in a case like this, where trying to help me will put you all at death's door practically knocking to be let in . . . Neither of us know who the wisest person would be. Too many would be blinded by their good hearts, and this is a decision that needs to be made with the brain and not the heart."

"So what do you suggest, Crys? Who do you want to ask? Because if you don't want to ask any one, I'm still going with you."

Her eyes left his and turned out toward the sea. "They all deserve to know why they were forced to go through that last night."

"The ones like Angel and Wolverine already know most of it. Jack wasn't in his right mind anyhow. He never is when it's storming. We can tell them tonight -- a small group -- Jack, Wolverine, and Angel. Maybe Delvira. She impresses me as being a very strong Sorceress who could very likely use her power, if she's willing, to help." He continued to think. "Xena, Gabrielle, maybe. I'll tell them that we need to talk. Maybe Doctor Doom would come in handy too." His voice trailed off.

"Lorne, they all deserve to know," Crystal repeated. "Every single one of them could -- "

"You want to tell all of them at one time?" he asked, breaking her off in disbelief.

"I told Angel once that if the rest knew of the danger I placed them in and were still okay with me being aboard the ship, I would stay, but if even one was not, I would leave. Almost all of them were here before I was, and they've already been put in mortal danger because of my foolishness."

"Okay. Well, tonight, I'll make the announcement that you need to tell them about the storm last night, but if you leave, I'm going with you."

"Lorne!"

"You what -- forbid me to go?"

Crystal knew what the next words out of his mouth would be before he ever got them out. "You'd go anyway. You'd just be sure I was far enough ahead that I wouldn't know until it was too late."

"You got it, sweetcheeks," he said, grinning at her. "Whether thou goest, I go."

"Lorne, these people are your family!"

"Yes, they're my family, but you're my soul mate rather you believe it or not and you're not going to get rid of me! I will follow you to the ends of the earth if need be!"

She looked at him. "If he kills you because of me, I'll let him have me."

"Well, I'll be dead then. I won't be able to stop you, but as long as I live, I want to be with you, and as long as I'm with you, I am going to stop you!"

Crystal's head dropped so that he could not see her face. She shook her head, but though tears were shining in her eyes, she could not help laughing. "You're impossible!"

"And you're beautiful, and I absolutely adore you!" He reached over and placed his lips on hers, kissing her with everything he had.

Finally realizing that it would do her no good to fight him, Crys did not try to struggle against him. Instead, her lips parted underneath his, welcoming him.


"I'm tellin' ye," the angry Irish man hissed yet again, "that the man can be trusted!"

"I'm not worried about your damn Wolverine!" the brunette snapped in response. "I'm more concerned with the bloody lot of them!"

"I've known Wolverine fer years," the Irish man told her again. "We need tae warn 'em. He would warn me if our roles were reversed. He wouldn't be hangin' wit' a bunch o' bad people! They can be trusted!"

"So you think!" the brunette returned. "But you're not the Captain of this ship, and I'm telling you to stand down! We're not going to poke our necks out for people we don't know, especially when there's so few of us left! I'm not going to just let you march off into death!"

"Aye, Captain!" the man spat out and stomped away. He was so angry that he did not see where he was going and bumped into a blue Demon. "Get out o' me way!" he said and was rewarded with a bamfing noise and the smell of brimstone jetting out into his face. He gagged, coughed, and started waving the smoke away, knowing that the man was gone.

"Serves you right!" the woman called to him. "Leave the priest alone!"

The Demon appeared right under the woman's nose. "Ve vould be safe, fraulein. You can phase through anything, and I can bamf out. Ve should go and check out the three who have gone to the house. Ve vill be more than a match for them."

The brunette paused as she considered the Priest's words. They had been watching the people for a while, and she had seen no reason to doubt the Irish man's word other than her fear that she would place them in even greater danger. "All right," she agreed, "but the first sign of trouble, and we're out of there." Her brown eyes turned to the other two men. "You two stay here and wait. And not a word out of you, Irish!"

He glared angrily at her but did not say anything.

The blue Demon took her hand and bamfed them to the house. They were just in time as they heard the front door being cautiously opened. They heard it bump against the wall and whispered voices begin talking. The smell was overpowering, but they were not surprised for they knew what had been going on in this house. They also knew that the small group now entering was innocent and did not know anything about the horrors that lay in wait for them. The Priest did not know when to make his appearance and waited for his Captain.


They had finally reached the house when Angel tensed. Some one had been following them. He whispered to Jack, "I am going to catch the scurvy dog who's following us."

Jack nodded and continued on to the house. The stench was overwhelming. He reached out and opened the door cautiously. The sight that met his stomach made him squeamish. Blood seemed to be oozing out of the very walls themselves. It was from that that the smells were coming. Whatever had died here had died a most horrible death, and its blood and guts were dribbled all over the walls. He did not enter but stood just outside the door with Wolverine.

Wolverine sniffed the air. "There's been people here, Jack. I think we're looking at what remains o' 'em. There's also been something here that I can't identify by smell. I haven't the foggiest clue as to what it is."

"We'll wait for Angel," Jack said. "If there's something in there waiting to attack us, we'll need his strength."


Angel doubled back as quietly as a mouse and pinpointed the place where some one was hiding. They were very good and had not made a sound, but still they could not hide from Angel. The smell reminded him of some one he had met earlier, but he could not pinpoint him as yet. He took a flying leap and landed straight on top of what turned out to be one of Hook's boys, the one called Connor. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Connor trembled but did not break eye contact. "Exploring," he said.

"Explore elsewhere," Angel growled. "I'm going to turn you aloose and you get back to camp. Don't make me come after you."

The minute Angel released him, Connor ran like the wind, hoping to get away from Angel.

Angel shook his head and returned to Jack and Wolverine. "One of Hook's boys. The scent on him was very familiar, but I can't place it. Maybe in time." The smells he was now picking up were emanating from the house. "Shut the door, Jack. We need to check the outside before we go in. Something has been in there and ate all the humans its come into contact with. That's their leftover blood. As Jack pulled the door to, Angel told him, "There's some one else in there, and they're alive."

Instead of closing the door all the way, Jack burst forward. "If there's a chance of them being alive," he told the other two, "we have to reach them and rescue them before whatever did this comes back!"

Wolverine ran in right behind Jack. He ran so fast that he passed him and entered the next room before he could slow down. When he slowed, it was in front of a sword pointed directly at him. He could not believe a woman was holding a sword on him! "Where'd you come from?" he growled out.

Jack entered the room a little more cautiously, watching the girl with the sword. Angel did not enter but went around the side of the house, checking it out, coming to the back, and slipping inside. He could see the girl and the sword, but he did not reveal himself as he hoped to have a chance to rescue his friends.

The woman had waited until she had felt the opportunity she'd waited for arrive and had quickly gained what appeared to be an upperhand on the strangers. She kept one eye on the man whose heart her sword was pointed at but glanced with the other to the other man. "Stay where you are," she told him. Then, to the cloaked Demon, she added, "And you, Father, get ready for the third one. He probably plans to surprise us."

"What makes you think there's three of us?" Jack asked her.

"I'm a good listener," the brunette replied. "Three different voices. Three different men. And I'll be asking the questions. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I own this island and this house. My name is Captain Jack Sparrow. I know you've heard of me," he said with a grin.

Wolverine growled before answering. "I'm Wolverine." He didn't really have a title any longer, so he left it at that.

"I've heard of you both," the brunette replied, "and I'm sure you've heard tale of the Shadowcat."

"You're the Shadowcat? That explains a lot. You're small and quiet and can get away with about anything which I've heard tale that you did."

A ghost of a dangerous smile traced her lips. "You don't know the half of it, Captain Sparrow. But tell me -- If you own this island, what creatures inhabit it?"

"That I can't tell you. I've only been on part of it, and that was a long time ago. I bought it from another Pirate in Port Royal for a wedding present for my friend. We wouldn't be here now except that we were attacked and our ships destroyed. We were lucky to make the island. What kind of creatures are here, Shadowcat, that could do what they've done in the other room?"

"I doubt you'd believe me if I told you."

"I've seen some strange creatures before, Shadowcat. Why do you think I would not believe you about these?"

"There have been a lot of strange tales involving your ship, the Black Pearl," she had to admit. She was about to say more when the Priest spoke.

"You're ve Captain Jack Sparrow?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Aye, Father, I am."

"May you be blessed always, my son, for your generous and bountiful offerings you have given me in the past."

"I have not met you, Father."

"Yet, my son, you have generously given to me on many occasions, and I have never had an occasion to thank you. I put every single dubloon you gave me to good use, helping the poor and down-trodden."

"Father . . . " Shadowcat spoke rather nervously, one eye trained on Wolverine and the other on the Priest. "What in the Hell are you talking about?"

"On a weekly basis, offerings vere dropped into the tithe plate by Pirates. They always said the same thing: Captain Jack Sparrow sent it. So again, I thank you, Captain Sparrow."

"I'm just glad you could use it, Father," Jack said, now beginning to relax some. He didn't think the Priest would let the woman do him in.

"Why," Shadowcat had to ask, one eye moving from Kurt to Jack, "would you have donated to him?"

"He ran a small church dedicated to helping all those who came to its doors and were in need. He helped many Pirates that I knew about and other creatures. He was always getting into trouble with the local authorities, but he still chose to ignore them and help any who came his way. I couldn't do a lot to help, but I did what I could."

Shadowcat considered Sparrow's words, but she had one more test for him. It waited in the shadows, and she could sense its concern. "Lockheed," she called, "you can come out now."

"Why are you here, Father, and not on your island?" Jack asked.

"Ve vere attacked," Kurt said. "They almost killed me, and they would have if it had not been for Shadowcat."

"Many thanks go to you, Shadowcat, for saving such a worthy man. I know your people will miss you much, Father Wagner."

Angel came out of the shadows. He had been one of the Pirates who had taken money to Father Wagner. He held his hands out toward the small group, letting them know that they were not in any danger from him.

Shadowcat was surprised even more as Captain Sparrow turned toward her, offering her his thanks for rescuing the Father even while a purple dragon landed on her shoulder. He did not even seem to notice Lockheed, and between his discussion with the Priest and his casual approach to the mythological being who was her best friend, Shadowcat finally stepped back and sheathed her sword. "Call me Kitty," she told Jack, "and, Father, I think it might be time for you to fetch the others."

Angel looked at the purple dragon. "Never seen a purple one before," he said to Kitty, "but we have a blue one back on the shore. I hope they'll be friends."

Both Kitty's and Lockheed's eyes widened at that news. "We've never met another dragon," she voiced both their thoughts. "Lockheed's the last of his kind!"

"Blue's the last of his kind. I think he's smaller than Lockheed. He belongs to my sister. She's waiting back on the shore. We have a great bunch of folks there. You can trust all of us, Miss Kitty. Would you like to tell us about what kind of creatures inhabit the island?"

Kitty glanced toward Kurt and found the Priest watching her. He nodded, silently agreeing with her thoughts. "Well," Kitty dragged the word out, "you don't have any problems with dragons, but what about . . . dinosaurs?" She looked at each man in turn, watching their reactions.

"Dinosaurs!" Wolverine growled out. "They're dead, extinct, gone forever! Where'd you see dinosaurs?"

Kitty turned on him before she could stop herself. "We thought that too," she exclaimed heatedly, "but we know for a fact they're living and are all over this island! They killed my -- "

Kurt broke her off, knowing she wouldn't want to let out what she was about to. "They killed the rest of the crew. There's only five of us left now."

"Is there anywhere safe on the island," Jack asked, "that they can't get into? I've got a lot of people to get somewhere safe and soon, before nightfall."

"I'm afraid not," Kitty answered, her voice far softer and gentler than they'd heard it yet.

"Maybe we should hole up here, do everything we can to make it safe, and move the people in here? I don't know where the dinosaurs could have come from. The house is almost finished, and since the workers have disappeared, I am thinking that it might be their blood on the walls. Have to find some way to get that off of there and get our group moved in."

"'Ro might could help," Wolverine told them. Normally, he would have just went out and yelled her name, knowing that she could hear them, but now he did not want to attract problems. He raced off down the hill in search of 'Ro.

Kitty turned back to Kurt. "Father," she asked, "will you go get Sean and Chong?"

"Certainly, Captain," he told her and bamfed out.

Jack waved at the smoke, frantically hoping it would go away and not choke him. "Does he always do that?" he asked.

"Clearly," Kitty spoke though holding her nose, "there's much more to the Father than meets the eye, and yes, the brimstone's part of him."

Jack was glad when he was able to breathe again, and Angel was thankful that he did not have to.


As Faith plunged through the thick, dark woods, she talked to herself nonstop. Don't think about it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and don't think about it. Don't think about what Jack's face is going to look like when they tell him or how he's going to blame himself. Don't think about who Lex is going to go to the next time he's lost about him and Clark or the kids. Don't think about Salem needing a human to protect him. And sure as fucking Hell don't think about that damn kid throbbing inside of you. Just don't think . . . about it . . . She shoved some more branches out of her face and came to a place where there was slightly more room in between the trees. Just keep . . . putting one foot . . . in front of . . . the . . . !

Her thoughts broke off as a giant shadow fell across her pathway, engulfing her in its frame. She looked up, and her eyes seemed to have to travel an eternity before she finally saw the thing's face. She stumbled backwards in shock. She was looking at the biggest, nastiest . . . lizard she'd ever seen before in her life, and the thing was walking on two legs! Rustling sounds from the tops of surrounding trees caught her ears, and her gaze shifted to them to find more of the things.

They started to move towards her, and she dropped into a fighting stance, only then realizing that she hadn't even succeeded in getting a single weapon. Damn it, Faith, she muttered to herself. Of all the damn times to be a fucking idiot! One of the lizards moved toward her, but as she went to kick at it, its mouth caught her foot. It yanked her up into the air by her foot, then tossed her to its companions. Though Faith had long ago sworn pain would never again make her scream, as she felt teeth biting her flesh away, a scream erupted from her mouth.

To Be Continued . . .