Chapter Twelve

Dawson walked into the bedroom and stopped just inside, waiting for Faith to join him. The room had a single candle, waiting on a stand by the door. Dawson reached out, took it and the matches, and lit the candle. He felt Salem rush past his legs and saw him leap into the middle of the bed. It had been a rough day for all concerned, but Dawson was not ready for sleeping. He took in the contents of the small room. There was a bed, a door opening to the left that he figured might lead to a bathroom, and a door on the right which might be a closet. He saw a pair of boots under the bed and figured that they belonged to one of the workers. He walked over and opened the closet.

Salem was laying to where he could see everything Dawson was doing. He watched intently as Dawson opened the closet, hoping there was something in there for him too. His stomach rumbled. Could there be a mouse in there? If it ran out, Salem would catch it, or if Dawson looked away for a minute, he'd go in the closet and look for himself. "What's in there, Dawson?" he asked.

"Clothes. Men's clothes," Dawson told him. "Don't reckon their owner'll be needing them any more. I don't know what happened to my clothes that Faith bought for me."

Salem grinned teasingly up at the boy. "Bought?"

"Nah. She probably stole 'em." He looked back at the door, wondering what was keeping Faith so long. "Hope something in here fits me." He reached up and took down a pair of pants and a shirt that seemed to be about the right size. "Need to get cleaned up before I try them on. Kinda got dirty today," he said, looking disgustedly down at himself. He carried the clothes over toward the bathroom. "Faith?" He wondered what was keeping her. Should he go back for her?


When she had first walked into the room, Faith had relaxed against the door for a moment. Her mind just wouldn't stop playing over the day's events, and she was still rather stunned that she had finally broken down and let them in. Given their reactions, she knew she would not have undone what she'd done, but she could not help but to be surprised and stunned by her family. Family. It was a word that even then, as she watched Dawson rummaging through the closet and Salem rolling on the bed, brought tears to her eyes.

Faith shook herself. She just needed some time to clear her head and get all the mushiness out. She didn't speak to the boys but instead headed into the bathroom and silently shut the door behind her. Once inside the bathroom, she looked around and was startled to find handles leading to what she could not figure out. There was two attached to the wooden bathtub and, as she looked higher up, she realized that there was something sticking out of the wall. "What the fuck?" she muttered underneath her breath.

She tried the handles and was surprised when water came rushing out. She peered closer at the strange instruments and realized that there was some kind of button on the metal object where the water was coming from. She tried to push it down, but it wouldn't go any further down. Then she tried pulling it up and was rained on from above. She stared up at it even as water beat down on her. "I'll be damned!"

It was then that she heard Dawson calling her. "Yeah?" she called back.

Dawson looked at the door he thought was the bathroom. It sounded like Faith was in there and something was running. "Faith, are you okay? What's happening in there?"

"Ya wouldn't believe me," she told him. "Not sure I believe it myself, and I'm looking at it."

"Can I come in?" he asked hopefully.

Salem had gotten off the bed and gone over to the closet that Dawson had not closed completely. He stuck his nose in. There was a mouse in that closet; he could smell it! He began to push boxes around until he could get an open spot, and then he saw the mouse! He jumped and caught it. He lay down and began to enjoy his meal, only briefly glancing up with a grin at Faith's response to Dawson. He'd gotten lucky; maybe now the kid would too.

Faith shrugged. "Yeah."

Dawson opened the door slowly, peering inside. He then entered, carrying the candle carefully, and placed it in a safe place where the water wouldn't splash it out. He had read of running water in rich people's houses before, but he'd never seen it. Nobody in his hometown had had running water, not even the Governor, and the others he'd spoken to about it thought it was merely a fairy tale. Now he was able to see it with his own eyes. He walked forward, looking at the bathtub and the tumbling waterfall that was falling into the tub. "Looks like that might be fun," he said with a grin. "There's some clothes in the closet out there. I found some that might fit me. You might could find some for you. They won't be needing them any more. We could take a bath."

Faith had been about to speak when Dawson had added his last sentence rather hesitantly. She recalled his earlier words as he'd told her to fuck the bill and that he had only been using that as an excuse to win a second ride. Her dark eyes danced up at him as she grinned. "Well, ya know I've got that rule . . . "

"Fuck the rule!" Dawson said. "I'd love to wash your back and your hair and any other parts you'll let me touch."

"Well . . . " She dragged the word out, choosing to continue playing with him. "I do need to get out of Angel's jacket. I don't know how Lex managed it, but he got puke all over it." She shrugged out of the jacket and let it land in a dark pool around her feet.

Dawson's eyes took in the sight -- every single inch! He thought she was so beautiful it took his breath away. Without another word, he reached out, lifted her upward and away from the coat, and planted her in the bathtub. He looked around for some soap and found a cake of soap and a bottle of shampoo. "Looks like fun," he said and handed them to her. He then stripped and stepped into the tub. Gods, was he finally going to get lucky or was she going to throw him out now!

Faith had watched Dawson strip, and each newly exposed inch of skin had made her ache more for him. As he settled nervously into the tub, her grin grew. Her hands had still been hanging over the side of the tub, and now she let the soap slip. She frowned as she heard it hit. "Oops."

"I'll get it," Dawson said. He got up and leaned over the tub, not realizing the sight of his butt.

Faith acted fast as she released the shampoo, murmured another "Oops", and before Dawson could do anything, grabbed him. One hand found his rear and squeezed him there while the other slid around his chest to pull him closer.

"Faith, I can't reach it!" he protested and almost jumped out of his hide as her hands sought him out. "Don't you want the soap?"

"No," she told him. "What I want . . . " She rose a foot up underneath him. " . . . is . . . this . . . " Her toes traced the underline of his sword.

"Damn!" he breathed as he felt his sword erect immediately. He turned around in the tub and launched himself at her lips, his full length laying on top of her and his sword approaching her sheathe.

She leaned upwards, meeting his kiss and sword simultaneously. She plunged herself upwards onto his sword as her tongue dipped into his mouth.

He felt himself enter up to the hilt and vibrations rip his body apart. He did not want to explode yet but didn't know how to stop himself. He was where he always wanted to be, and he trembled at the thought! He kissed her from her lips down her neck and to her breasts where his lips sought the sweet nectar that only she could give him.

She could feel the trembling he tried to hide as he fought against cumming too soon and pulled herself down his sword even as his mouth took in her breast. She moaned in delight and began to rub herself up and down his sword, feeling it stiffen even more within her.

He began to pump in and out of her slowly at first and then faster as she rubbed up and down. It was driving him crazy! He had his dream, but he didn't want it to end so soon! Yet he felt it cumming any way. "Faith? Sorry . . . " he whispered, " . . . but I'm cumming and I can't stop it . . . " He pumped even faster and then felt himself going over the edge, not realizing that he carried Faith with him.

She had never came so quickly before, but to finally have the utopia she had been denying herself, to finally have him throbbing inside her, did just that. He lifted her beyond the stars, filling her with more pleasure than even she had ever thought possible, especially of a short ride, and slowly drifting her back down to earth where she still lay, smiling and gazing up at him. "Dawson," she breathed his name, "never apologize . . . especially not for that . . . "

"I just couldn't help myself, Faith. You burned me up and I exploded, but Gods, it was wonderful!"

She reached up a hand to brush the hair out of his face and drew her thumb softly across his lips. "Don't help yourself with something like that, kid," she told him with a teasing grin. "Besides, who said we had to stop at the second?"

He grinned lop-sidedly at her. "Faith, I'm going to give you a bath all over. Bet you never had that before from somebody else. Let me get that soap." He slid over the side of the tub and groped around, finally finding the soap. He then saw the bottle of shampoo in the floor and grabbed that, as well, before jumping back into the tub. The tub had been filling with water, and his elbow bumped something which made the cascading water stop. "Duck your head, Faith, and get your hair wet."

He was surprising her steadily more, but she found that she didn't want to argue this time. He wanted to treat her, and she would like to see that happen. Actually, she would have to see that happen in order to believe it, and she wanted to learn just what exactly this kid who drove her so wild had in him. Her knees went up around him as she did as he instructed.

Her woman's core was open to him, and he shook his head. Wasn't gonna get much washing done, he figured. She was just too tempting! He leaned forward and gave her a tentative lick to see what her reaction would be.

She had been swishing her head back and forth as she'd been wetting her hair when she suddenly felt Dawson lick her. The sensation made her stop in surprise but also brought a groan of pleasure from her lips.

He leaned further into her and drove his tongue deeper in. He began to suckle her in earnest. The taste of her was wonderful! It was his first time, and he was glad Pacey had given him a book on how to pleasure a woman. Now he had a chance to practice it on his woman, and he couldn't wait! He dove as deep as he could and suckled harder even as his hands played over her body like she was a fine-tuned instrument. They finally found her breasts and began to knead them.

Each touch from him took her higher, and she moaned in time to the rhythm he created in her body. Soon, her moans reached screams of pleasure.

He felt his sword stiffen even more . . .


Outside, in the bedroom, Salem's head jerked up from his mouse at Faith's scream. He stood, stretched, and, with a grin, padded silently over to the bathroom. For a moment, he considered peeking in at them, but he quickly changed his mind. Not only would Faith make him wish he was dead if he did that, but it would disrupt the time that both kids so sorely needed. Instead, he pushed the door to with his foot and returned to his mouse.


"Are they doing anything yet?" Donkey asked.

"How are we to know?" Cindy growled at him.

"By looking through the keyhole! You can see!" Donkey replied. When none of the others moved toward the door and only looked at him as though he was insane, Donkey shook his head and went himself to look through the keyhole. It was then that Cindy growled even more at him, and he froze just as his eye began to peer through the keyhole.

"If you don't move your ass away from there," the lioness growled, unsheathing her claws again, "I'm gonna tear 'em straight off!"

"Tear what straight off? What are you talking about, you crazy cat?" Donkey peered at her anxiously.

Blue cooed urgently to Donkey, warning him that he really didn't want to know and he'd best just stay away from the keyhole.

"Cindy, don't," Elvira pleaded. "He's away from there now!"

Cindy glared the jackass down. "If you go anywhere near that keyhole again or if you try to see our mother naked again, whether she's with Lorne or not, I'll . . . " Her deadly claws slashed through the air right before Donkey's face. "Cut your manhood straight off!"

"Stay away from me, you crazy feline!" Donkey said. He went and climbed back in the bathtub. He could not believe how crazy that cat was! "I didn't want to see her naked! I just wanted to see if Lorne was doing anything! They're very quiet. Sex is supposed to be noisy."

Cindy cocked her head at his words. "Well, I suppose I can . . . find out . . . " She started to step closer to the keyhole when Blue swooped down into her face, cooing angrily as he informed her that any one looking through the keyhole and disrupting their mother's and Lorne's privacy would meet his fire. He didn't want to have to hurt them, but he would if there was no other way to ensure Crystal's and Lorne's private sanctuary.

Cindy growled at Blue but slunk back into the bathroom. She curled up by the wall, watching the others with glowering eyes until Elvira stood up on her hind paws and peered in concern into the bathtub where Donkey lay. At that, the lioness rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

"She means well," Elvira tried to tell Donkey. "She just doesn't like men a whole lot."

Blue cooed, agreeing with Elvira and informing Donkey that Cindy hated men. Why, they didn't really know, but they knew she did.


Crystal leaned into Lorne's embrace as she returned his kiss with equal passion. Her tongue played at the entrance to his sweet heaven until managing to slip past his lips and into his mouth where it began to duel with his own tongue.

Lorne continued kissing Crys, his hands rubbing her back and moving ever lower to her rear. He gently massaged it when he reached it. He wasn't sure what the next step to take was, but he knew she had to be on the bottom and somehow she'd ended up on the top. He tried wriggling around to get out from under her without losing contact with her mouth.

She mistook his wriggling for nervousness and finally broke off the kiss. Her eyes continued to gaze into his, however, and her lips lingered just a breath away. "You know, I . . . I never really got the chance to tell you what I thought of your . . . show with Joxer last night."

"Did you like it?" he asked. He was still trying to figure how to get her under him.

"I did," she answered with a smile, "a whole lot. In fact, it made me fall even harder for you," she admitted, "because it revealed a new side of you to me -- your passion for song and dance."

"I do love song and dance, but nowhere near how much I love you. I have a problem, and I don't know how to fix it," he told her. "You and me both are virgins. It's the blind leading the blind, and I need you under me. I tried to figure a way, but you weren't having none of it. But you have to get down there! There ain't any other way to do it, and I do so want to do it! Don't you?" he asked her very seriously. "But if you don't, I'll understand."

She paused, still gazing up into his handsome face and even sexier eyes. She'd tried to show him that she wanted the same thing that he wanted, but she didn't appear to be getting any closer to that than he was getting to having her underneath him. "Lorne . . . Could we . . . perhaps . . . " An idea sparked as she tried to find her words, and the rest of her sentence came out in a rush. " . . . dance first?"

"Dance? Why do you want to dance first? Well, I guess it would kind of smooth things over. Wish we had some more of that sprinkle dust. I seemed to be extremely suave and debonair when I was under the influence."

She laughed and caressed his face gently. "You were," she told him, "and you still are more than you give yourself credit for being. I just . . . "

"What will we use for music?" he asked her.

"Well, I do sing, but I can't think of a song that's appropriate for this," she replied honestly with a blush. "But then, nothing could be lovelier than the music of our own hearts."

"I know," Lorne said. "I'll sing to you." He got off the bed and offered his hand to her, and as she took it, he began to sing and lead her around the small room in a waltz.

" If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be
"

His words spoke to her heart, and as they danced together, she knew instinctively just how to answer him.

" And if I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I find in you
The missing part of me
"

He held her tenderly and close to his heart. Her words filled him and made his heart sing back to hers.

" In this world so full of fear
Full of raging lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes, so dry your eyes
"

Her eyes were indeed sparkling with tears, but he had learned to tell the difference between her tears of joy and tears of sadness. He raised a hand and gently wiped the joyful tears from her eyes.

Crystal smiled and leaned her face into his hand's gentle embrace. She could not help but to marvel at the feelings he awakened in her. She'd never thought she'd have a chance for a happy life, but with Lorne in her heart and life, she knew at last that there was much more than just a fading chance. She loved him and he her, and together they would find a way.

" And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
"

He had a lump in his throat, and he hoped it would not keep him from singing. He had always thought this to be a beautiful song, but he'd never had a reason to sing it before. The words held a special meaning for both he and Crys. He felt the way the words sang about Crys.

" If I never knew you
I'd be safe, but half as real
Never knowing I could feel
A love so strong and true
"

This was the perfect song, Crystal could not help realizing, for them. She remembered when she'd first learned of the song's origin and had sworn that she'd never let her life get as messed up as the original singers had let theirs. Of course, that had been ignorant, and she'd realized that fact seconds after swearing that. She should have known better, but now she realized that her heart must have known that her Prince in green armor was still out there somewhere. Now she had him, and despite Frostbite and all his horrors, she would find a way to keep him. It wouldn't do any good to run from him again, and she would not. They might have to run together, but she would never again let him go.

" And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
"

His breath was stolen away, and yet he continued to sing. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He'd never dreamed he could touch some one like her, let alone hold her, and yet their enemy was out there and, he knew, constantly on her mind. He wished he could wipe him away yet knew it was impossible, but he was ready for the battle he knew would come. He whirled her around the floor again and kissed her on the forehead before singing the next verse.

" I know our love will be so beautiful
Somehow we'll make the whole world right
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
But still my heart is saying we are right
We are right
"

Crystal gazed even deeper into Lorne's eyes and felt her breath be stolen away even as her heart soared. She still could not believe that she had found such a wonderful man who truly wanted her and was so determined never to let her go. She did not know what she had done to win Lorne's heart, but she thanked Aphrodite for it.

Lorne lowered his mouth to hers for a minute, kissed her gently, and gazed deep into her eyes even as he began the last verse. She joined him in song, her eyes never leaving his.

" And if I never knew you
If I never knew you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky
Never knowing why
Lost forever
If I never knew you
"

As the song finished, Lorne spun with Crys around the room one last time, ending with them at the bed and Crys ended up on her back this time. He pushed her gently down to the bed and then got into the bed beside her, kissing her deeply and passionately. It felt right this time.

She wanted him now even more than she had before, and her heart thundered in her chest as her body ached with longing. "Lorne . . . " she whispered in between kisses, " . . . we're still forgetting something . . . "

"Hmm?" Lorne asked. "Forgetting . . . what . . . darling . . . ?"

She knew how he felt about his gorgeous looks and that he was as nervous as she was, so she decided to make the first move toward the one last thing that was left standing between them. "Let me . . . show you . . . " she breathed in between passionate kisses before finally placing a hand on his chest and scooting out from under him. Once standing, she turned back to face him. She was smiling though she had to swallow the butterflies that rose in her throat. She maintained eye contact with him even as she began to strip.

He had thought she was beautiful before, but as each inch of creamy, delicious skin was revealed, he found her to be even more irresistible. He felt his sword rising to the occasion and began to strip his own clothes off. He reached out and pulled her to him once they were both naked. Again, he pushed her gently onto the bed, but this time he climbed on the bed, climbing up her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

As he came ever closer to laying directly on top of her, Crystal leaned up just enough that she was able to cup her hands gently around his handsome face and press her lips to his.

Lorne leaned forward until he was laying full length on Crys, his weight resting on his elbows as his lips made contact with hers. The sensations from her naked body were driving him crazy! He was not sure what to do next except to kiss his way, and he proceeded to do just that.

She could feel his sword against her core, and the heat radiating from it and the rest of his magnificent body made her blood rush even more. Her heart was beating so loudly that she knew he must be able to hear it, but her lips did not let up from his. Instead, she kissed him with ever-growing passion, her tongue slipping into his mouth.

As his tongue dueled with hers and the passion grew, Lorne felt as though he was about to burst, yet still he could not figure out how to find her core. He could feel her, but he just couldn't find the actual sheath for his sword to slip into.

Neither ever realized that they were joined by a third being. Aphrodite smiled down upon the couple as she sprinkled a few hearts upon them, sending Lorne shooting home. She blinked out with a grin.


Will was still standing in the doorway, staring at the huge, comfortable bed in awe, when Jack spoke from behind him. "Will, we have to talk. There are many things that you don't know. You'll learn them over time, but this one we have to talk about tonight."

The worry that Will could hear in his lover's voice made him forget all about the bed. He turned back to look at Jack in concern, nearly stumbling over his feet as he attempted to walk backwards into the room. "What's wrong?"

"You know about the dinosaurs. Well . . . I didn't. I messed up, and I bought this island. I had no ideal of what was on it. If I had, there is no way I would have bought it, because I bought it for a gift."

"I had the house built. Clark and I designed it quite well, I think, with a little help from Doctor Doom. It is full of surprises. I bought it for a wedding gift for you and Elizabeth. I didn't tell her."

In my dreams, I was building it for you and me, but I never thought they'd come true. I had no hope that things were going to turn out the way that they have, but do you realize that if you had gone ahead and married Elizabeth and had come here for your honeymoon like I'd planned, the dinosaurs would have ate you?" His face had turned very pale when he said that. He allowed Will a chance to let what he was telling him sink in.

Although Jack's words shocked Will, he nonetheless moved forward to cup a gentle hand around Jack's cheek. "Jack," he told him, gazing into his eyes, "I've loved you for a long time. Even when I was going to go ahead with the marriage, I knew I loved you, not her. I was just too scared to stand up, too afraid that I'd lose your friendship and cast her out in the cold alone with nothing to gain for it. But had I married her and had we honeymooned here, . . . being eaten alive would have been preferable to going through with that marriage. Not because of Elizabeth, but because the person I was marrying, the person I would have had to spend the rest of my life with, would not have been you."

"That bed that you so admire came from France and is just as fluffy as it looks -- soft, comfortable, sinkable . . . I think we should run and jump into it," he said with a mischievous look. He had changed the subject in hopes of getting Will on the bed. "You wanted to, didn't you?"

Will blushed but had to grin and nod. "It was the oddest thing, but . . . Yes, that was the second thought that came into my mind when I looked at it."

"Let's do it on the count of three. One . . . Two . . . " As "three" came out of Jack's mouth, he was running for the bed.

Will broke and ran right after his love, grinning and laughing heartily despite all their worries. He launched himself straight for the bed.

Jack beat Will into the bed, and, sure enough, sank down into it. He barely managed to roll out of the way as Will landed almost on top of him. Jack rolled over to face Will and hovered just above him. He pressed his lips to Will's even as the bed threatened to swallow them whole.

Will couldn't help himself; he bounced closer to Jack until his body pressed against his beloved's. Then he not only continued returning Jack's kiss but deepened it, as well. One hand was pressed against the bed, but the other reached up to lovingly stroke Jack's beard.


Piper lay in bed next to Prue, pretending to sleep. She'd actually succeeded in stilling her body and slowing her breathing to lull her older sister to sleep, a trick she'd learned when they had been kids and Prue had been left in charge of making sure she stayed in the bed. She could hear Prue snoring softly now, but Piper was anything but asleep. Her mind continued playing over all the troubles that haunted her -- the love she'd felt with Cole only to have him act so strangely just a little while earlier and her family woes. She was again spinning over Prue's reasoning for why Cole had snuck into the room with Brendan and wishing that there was a way that she could actually move on him though knowing she couldn't as her family had to be her priority and somebody had to set an example for her younger sisters as, Gods willing, it was not yet too late to save them, when she heard a racket in the closet. She froze. That was not Prue snoring!

She lay as still in the bed as she possibly could and was considering both waking Prue and calling for help when the door to the closet creaked open. That got Piper sitting bolt upright in the bed, but as she turned her saucer-sized eyes to the closet, she saw a short but apparently human rear-end backing up. Red flushed her face as she slipped out of the bed and marched over to the small man. "Carl!" she hissed in a furious whisper. "What the heck are you doing in here!"

Carl dusted his hands off even as he looked up at her. "I came to help."

Piper glared down at him. She started to ask him how he thought an offer to help when there was nothing for him to help with would buy him a safe ticket out of the room when another question popped into her mind. "How'd you even get in here?"

Carl pointed at the inside of the closet, and Piper peered into it. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the tunnel.

Carl shrugged. "I'm a Gnome. Gnomes like to dig."

Piper's eyes cut sideways at Carl. "That still doesn't explain what you're doing in here."

"I told you," he answered, keeping his voice as low as hers as he didn't want to wake Prue, "I came to help. Look, the whole place heard you and Prue fussing about Cole and Brendan. I can't do anything to help with the Brendan situation, but I can with the Cole one."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "How?"

"Simple. You're beginning to think the man doesn't want you, but your sisters and I know the truth. He has feelings for you, but you're not giving him any reason to think that you want him."

"I kissed him!"

Carl looked up at her in surprise. "You did?"

She nodded, not believing that she'd let the words slip.

He grinned. "There's hope for you yet! But I know how to really make his blood boil."

"Carl, I can not behave like my sisters!" she started to begin, but he cut her off with a dismissing wave of his hand.

"I'm not talking about that. Neither one of you two," he said, glancing at where Prue slept, "could behave like Paige and Phoebe. Neither one of you are free enough, but you should be free to be yourself."

"I am being myself!"

"Are you?" he asked, peering up at her. "Are you really?"

"Of course!"

He placed his hands on his hips. "Girl, you can not stand there and tell me that there's no fire burning for Cole in you!"

"There is."

"Then let the fire shine." She started to protest, but he quickly assured her, "I'm not saying to throw yourself at the man! But maybe if you dropped some hints that are a little less subtle he wouldn't be so oblivious."

She paused, considering his words. "You think?"

"Of course! Besides," he continued, pulling an outfit out of the tunnel, "there is no way that he could ignore you in this!"

She took the outfit and gave it a long, criticizing look. "Where'd you find it?"

"I think there are clothes in all the closets. I found the ones in Paige's and my room first when she went to sleep a little while ago. Then I started checking out some others, and I found this. I think it'll fit you."

"But I can't wear this! It's -- It's leather!"

He looked at her with risen eyebrows. "Are you going to tell me you never wondered what the touch of leather against your skin might feel like?"

Piper glanced to make sure Prue was still asleep. "Actually . . . "

"Uh huh." Carl nodded. "I think every one has at least once. I don't really like the feel of it, but I sure do like the looks of it. So does every man, and I've heard Faith talk about it before. She claims it makes a woman feel like . . . like a real woman." Actually, Faith's words had been a great deal dirtier than that, but he wasn't about to repeat what he'd eavesdropped on to Piper.

Piper cocked her head to one side as she considered the outfit. "Really?" Carl nodded. "But it's so low-cut!"

"It could be lower."

"True."

"It shows off just enough to make him wonder what the rest looks like. Isn't that the right amount of cleavage?"

"I guess," Piper said hesitantly with a screwed-up face. Was any cleavage truly the right amount?

"Look," he said with a shrug. "The facts are simple. You want to turn Cole's head but you don't want to stop acting like a lady? No matter what the outfit, it's the woman's actions that dictate how much of a lady she is. You can wear anything and still be a lady. Well, as long as you're not naked."

"Carl!"

He held up his hands. "That's all I'm gonna say. I'm leaving the decision to you." With that, he leapt back into the closet.

Piper peered after him and could see that he was quickly digging a new path. She closed the doors and stared at the outfit. With the outfit draped over her arm, she quietly walked over to borrow the candle next to Prue's side of the bed.


Cole was desperate! Brendan was driving him crazy! He had been around snorers before, but none snored as loudly or as gratingly as Brendan! He had tried rolling him over, punching him, pushing him, and even succeeded in knocking him out of the bed once! Even on the floor, the boy still kept on snoring! Calling him did no good, and cramming a pillow didn't help any either. In fact, the last method only got feathers spat up into Cole's face.

He threw his hands up in desperation. "I've got to find somewhere else to sleep!" Grabbing a blanket and his pillow, he headed out of the room and down the stairs to where he had seen a couch earlier. Moonlight filtered across the floor and made it easy to see.

The house was quiet, maybe too quiet. It reminded Cole of a tomb. "Get your mind back on better things," he reminded himself, "not morbid things." Throwing the pillow on the couch, he threw himself on top of it and covered up with the blanket. He could not believe how cold it had turned out to be since the day had been so hot!

He hoped Piper did not hate him for taking a room with Brendan, but there was no way he could have faced her. He just couldn't handle himself around her, and nights were the worst. After having spent the one night with her, he wanted to spend all his nights with her, but he didn't want to just lay and watch her sleep. He wanted to hold her and do other things that men liked to do with their beloveds. He knew he was a bad boy, and that had been why he had taken the room with Brendan, where he could keep his badness away from Piper. Piper was like a Saint, and he did not want to tarnish her with his badness.


Though she had fallen asleep rather quickly due to her exhaustion from the ordeal she had gone through, Elizabeth began tossing and turning shortly after closing her eyes. Her dreams were intermingled with memories of times she had spent with her father as a young girl and more recent times, when he had been so cruel to her and her chosen love, had sold Will into slavery, and had at last met his fate with the rest of the island that had been the only home she could ever remember. She pictured him turning to ice, his hands stretching out for her, as he screamed her name and she sailed away with the others, never even trying to protect him.

Elizabeth leapt up in the bed with a terrified gasp. Her heart thundered against her insides, and her clothes clung to her sweat-covered body. Pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to quiet herself less she should wake her sleeping partner, Elizabeth looked over at Autolycus through teary eyes. He still appeared to be asleep, and she crept from the bed, hoping not to wake him.

She walked over to the single window in the room and stared out into the nighttime as her memories returned, bringing fresh tears to her eyes. Her father had not always been the man she'd came to nearly fear and hate. He had once been a good man and a better father. He had been kind to all, and she had been the apple of his eye. He would have done anything for her, but that had been because she was his daughter, not because he wanted her himself.

Elizabeth gulped, feeling numb inside as she finally accepted the truth. Her father had not wanted to get rid of Will simply so that she might marry one of his choosing. The times he had brushed against her had not been an accident. Though she'd tried to believe that they were, there was no way that they could have been as numerous and still been accidents. Her father would have still done anything for her -- anything to win her into his bed. She felt sick suddenly and rushed to the bathroom, groping her way along in the darkness as she ran.


Autolycus knew the minute Elizabeth had left the bed. When she had cried out, he had been about to put his arms around her and hold her, but she had moved out too quickly. If he heard her cry again, he'd go to her, but for now, he figured she probably wanted to be alone. When your nightmares came, sometimes the only way you could fight them was on your own. He knew about that from first-hand experience. He wondered what kind of nightmares plagued her. He lay listening to her move around the room and then rush for the bathroom. Now I can be of help, he thought. He got up, went over to the bathroom door, and knocked gently on it. "Elizabeth? Can I help you?"

Elizabeth was still shaking from being sick in the chamberpot when she heard Autolycus calling to her. She did not want even he to see her in her current condition, but as she looked around, hoping to find some water and a rag, she realized that she had shut herself in complete darkness. "Could you . . . Could you get me a candle?" she called through the closed door. "And . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." How long had he been awake? she wondered.

He looked around the room and spied the candle he had lit when he came in the room. It was burning low, so he looked for another. He found several in a pull-out drawer. He got one and set it into a holder, lit it, and went back to the bathroom. "Open the door, Elizabeth. I have a light. It's okay about waking me up. I didn't wake up until I missed you in the bed." His last sentence was a lie yet not a lie. He didn't want her to think he'd been watching her the whole time.

Had she felt better, his words would have given her cause to blush. She stood on weak legs and opened the door in a crack only large enough for the candle to be sent through.

"You sure there's not anything else I can do for you?" he asked as he passed the candle to her.

Her hand was cold and clammy from sweat as she took the candle from him. "Yes . . . " she breathed softly. It would have been nice to have his comfort, but she didn't want him to see her in her current condition.

"Okay. Well, I'm going back to bed. If you need me, call me." He lay back down on the bed with his head resting on his clasped hands, hoping that she'd call for him but doubting it.

Left alone again, Elizabeth shone the candle around the room. She found a rag quickly enough. There was no water to be had, but there was a strange contraption on the sink. She peered closer at its handles before turning one. Water poured out from the spout that was attached to the set of handles, and she gasped. Quickly wetting the rag before the water could vanish, she started cleaning herself.

When she had freshened herself back up, the water was still running. She looked at it again and slowly turned the handle back in the opposite direction. She watched the water as she did so and noticed that it decreased steadily until none came out again. "What an amazing thing," she whispered softly.

She then found herself left with nothing to do but turn back to face the chamberpot she'd made such a mess in. She had to get that out of there before Autolycus saw it, but the only thing she could do was dump it out the window. What if he was still awake, though? Opening the door again, she peered out at his form in the bed. She watched for a minute.

Autolycus had heard the door opening, and he faked sleep. He lay as still as he could, and every now and again a gentle snore erupted. He knew she was watching him but did not know what the problem was.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief and ducked back into the bathroom. She could not help making a disgusted face as she lifted the chamberpot. The stench was horrid, and to think that it had come out of her sickened her all the more! Balancing the chamberpot as carefully as she possibly could, Elizabeth tried not to smell as she picked the candle back up. She nudged the door open with her foot and tiptoed across to the window. She set the candle on its ledge and the chamberpot on the floor and slid the window open. She stole another glance at Autolycus, but he appeared to still be sleeping. She picked up the chamberpot, again fighting the urge to repeat her earlier action, and quickly dumped its contents out the window. She had just finished emptying it when she heard a shout. With a gasp, she quickly closed the window.

Autolycus did not move but continued to lie as though he was sound asleep. He wondered who had been dumped on and had a hard time not laughing. Usually he'd be the recipient on the other end, but somebody else had just inherited his rotten luck. He was sure that they'd hear about it in the morning.

Elizabeth picked the chamberpot back up and carried it back to the bathroom. She again checked Autolycus' sleeping form as she came back out, but she did not return to bed. Instead, she crossed over to stand beside the window and looked out. She could barely see the stars twinkling in the sky, but the sight of the glittering lights took her mind back once more to her father. She stood there, gazing out, as her mind was whisked back into memories. He had been a good man regardless of what he'd become, and at last Elizabeth's tears began to fall in earnest. She was not mourning the father she'd ran from in Port Royal but the man who had died a long time ago.

He clenched his fists but did not rise to go to her. He felt like she needed to be alone now and grieve. There would come a time when he could go to her and she would not reject him. He had a hard time laying still while she cried, but he knew it had to be.


After discovering the miraculous running water, Piper had bathed by the light of Prue's candle before dressing in the outfit Carl had brought her. Her mind had continued to be filled with doubts as she'd returned to the bedroom and sought out a second candle. She'd used Prue's to light it and returned her candle to the nightstand on her side of the bed. She stood there for a moment, gazing down at her sleeping sister. How could Prue look so peaceful and beautiful in sleep after all they'd gone through? She shook her head. She did not know how her sister managed it but was glad that she could.

Piper knew she did not stand a chance of getting any sleep that night, but there was nothing in the room to entertain her and she did not want to wake Prue. It was then that she heard a low growl and jumped before realizing that it was her sister's stomach. Hearing Prue's stomach made Piper realize how hungry she was, and she knew that the others would probably be starving by the time they awoke. Perhaps she could wake them to a delicious surprise? If the closets were as furnished as Carl said they were, surely there would be food in the pantry?

But Jack had warned them not to go anywhere without their room mates and weapons. She did not even have a weapon, having trusted Cole to protect them both. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about him or the betraying feelings that he stirred within her. It was then that she heard a sound coming from the closet.

Taking her own candle with her, Piper walked over to the closet and peered inside the tunnel Carl had dug. "Carl?" she whispered. No answer came, so she rose her candle so that its light flickered into the tunnel. She was rewarded with the shadowy outline of the Gnome's rear. "Carl!"

"Sorry, Piper," Carl apologized though he did not try to turn around but continued digging. "Did you make your decision?"

"I did, but . . . I was wondering. Carl, you've been going through the house. Do you think it's possible for the dinosaurs to get in here?"

"Nah," Carl replied with a casual shrug. "Jack's too protective, but he means well."

"So you think it would be all right if I was to go down to the kitchen and see what I can fix to eat?"

Carl grinned. "Sounds like a winner to me!"

"Thanks," Piper told him with a slight smile. She then walked away, left the room, and headed downstairs.


Elvira's black eyes glanced at where her roommate sat on the window ledge, peering outside at the night. "Worried about him?" she asked softly. Cordelia nodded, and she sighed. "I know. So am I."

"I don't know why he has to jump every time Jack hollers," Cordelia admitted with a pout. "I mean, I realize he's his First Mate, but still to go out at night when he knows there's living dinosaurs out there?"

"Well, he's not a normal man, you know."

Cordelia's hazel eyes cut suspiciously at Elvira. "What do you mean?"

Elvira froze in her search on the dresser. She'd meant to look for alcohol first but had ended up having to take a trip to the ghoul's room first. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Did she know that Angel was a Vampire?

Elvira shook her head. "Sorry, kiddo, but he's gotta be the one to tell you that."

With an audible sigh, Cordelia returned her gaze to the dangerous darkness outside their window.

"Still, he's not an ordinary man," Elvira continued. "He's a Pirate and a good fighter."

"He may be good," Cordelia replied. "He may be better than any human -- "

Elvira glanced at her. "You mean other human, right?"

"Yeah," Cordy hurried on. "Of course. It's just . . . That doesn't stop me from worrying about him, Elvira. I know he's got a duty to fulfill, but I don't think it's right of the Captain to send him out there with only Wolf and your sister for back-up. It's too dangerous! I mean, it's not as if it's just normal wildlife we're talking about. He sent him out there with dinosaurs to find a boy who isn't even his!"

"But Angel blames himself for making him run off."

"I know he does, but I bet it was the Captain's fault. Jack's a good man, but that doesn't mean that he didn't cause Angel to do that. I'm sure he was just fulfilling his duty again."

"You hate that word, don't you?"

Cordelia looked up at where Elvira now stood beside her, holding two goblets and a bottle. "More than you can know," she admitted sadly. After all, had it not been her parents' senses of duty that had first ruined her life?

"Here," Elvira said, pressing a goblet into her hand. Cordelia held it and then Elvira's too as Elvira filled both with bubbling champagne. "You're not underage, are you?"

"I'm not under age for anything." Cordelia had never been one to believe in limitations based on age. After all, physical age did not have much effect. It was only a number. It was the things that a person went through that truly made them grow older.

"Then bottom's up, girl," Elvira replied, clinking her glass against Cordelia's. "Let the men have their duty, but we don't need these worries." She did not know a lot about Cordelia but could tell that the girl already had enough on her mind without Angel running off to complete his duty.

Cordelia scooted closer against the wall, allowing Elvira to join her at the window seat. "Elvira," she asked, pausing long enough to take a second sip, "if your sister went with them, why didn't you?"

"Besides the fact that I didn't get a chance to?" Elvira sighed and took a long swallow from her goblet before continuing, "I wouldn't be worth a damn to them. I'd just get in the way. Delvira's the Sorceress and the one who's really got the Vamp in control."

Cordelia's eyes flashed up at her in surprise. "You're one too?"

Elvira grinned. "Aha! So you do know!"

Cordelia blushed, not having meant to allow that fact to slip out. "Yes," she told her. "I still . . . have trouble believing it, but yeah. I just haven't told him how I feel about it."

Elvira gazed directly into Cordelia's face. "You don't have a problem with Vampires, do you?"

"I thought I would. Actually, I thought he was crazy until he showed me. It scared me, but . . . No, I don't. He's still the same man I met even if he is a Vampire."

Elvira nodded. "That's so true. Most people are too narrow-minded to think that a monster can be anything but that. It doesn't matter if they're Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, whatever; they're all monsters to most humans. But we're all people still, flesh and blood, even if it is decaying, dead, or not ours. We still have feelings." She shrugged. "We just are what we are."

"So they're all real, too?"

"Honey," Elvira informed her, "if you can even think there might be a critter out there somewhere, there probably is."

Cordelia stared at her in stunned disbelief, and Elvira knew she was giving the girl more than she could handle. "But I didn't go with my sister because I'd just get in the way," she repeated in an attempt to return to their previous conversation."

"But I thought you were twins?"

"Triplets actually, but our skills are still different. I can't fight worth a flip."

"Then why don't you have her teach you?"

"Not that again!" Elvira threw the rest of her drink down her throat, refilled her glass, and then refilled Cordelia's. She was surprised that the girl seemed to be keeping up with her as hers had been completely empty, as well.

"What do you mean," Cordy asked, "'not that again'?"

"That's what everybody says, even Wolf," Elvira replied with a sad sigh. "But I want to be my own woman."

"You don't want to follow in her footsteps," Cordelia observed. "I understand. My parents always wanted me to be like my Mother, but I didn't want to be. I wanted to find myself by myself. But would it really hurt to take lessons from some one else?" She giggled as the bubbles from the champagne tickled her nose. "Not Delvira," she tried to explain, struggling to gain a serious face, "but somebody else, one of the other Pirates. I want to learn, too. I want to learn to be the best fighter I can be so that Angel doesn't have an excuse to run off and leave me behind any more."

"So that you can go wherever he goes?" Elvira suppressed a burp while taking another swallow. "That sounds good! They never would have an excuse to do their duty without us again!"

Cordelia grinned. She had just filled her glass again and held the bottle up. "To getting rid of the duty!"

Elvira grinned and rose her glass. "Or at least being with them while they duty!"

The girls giggled and nearly fell together as Cordelia poured Elvira a third glass.

To Be Continued . . .