Chapter Seventeen
Not too far off from where Angel was hunting, he heard Wolf howling. Several seconds later, he heard something running dead for him. He leaped out in full Vamp form and caught two raptors, wringing their necks before they ever knew what hit them.
Wolf came running up then. "That's more than enough for the cubs. Want to share some with me?"
"Nah," Angel said, giving him a disgusted look. "I don't like my meat raw. I could drink some blood, though." He knelt down beside the fallen raptor and sucked some of the blood.
"Guess we're in the doghouse now," Wolf commented. "I just can't understand Elvira. She's got a fantastic sister and she could learn so much from her, but all she wants to do is cut down on her! Would you believe she told me to go screw Delvira!"
Angel looked up at him, blood on his face. "Well, Cordy threw me out. Seems I have a choice to make as to who comes first. How Jack got into the conversation, I have no idea, but she blamed Jack for us going out and doing our duty. She makes duty sound like a bad word! What the Hell's wrong with women! They just don't understand that a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!"
"Ain't it the truth!" Wolf agreed as he squatted down by Angel, ripping a leg off of a raptor and beginning to gnaw on it. "Always before, I spent a little coin and got a woman for a little while. They were gone when daylight came. Think I'm going back to that."
Angel looked at Wolf. "But I thought you were in love with Elvira?"
"Hell, man, what's love," Wolf asked, "when a woman wants to change you and wants you to be her lap puppy?"
"Lap puppy?" Angel repeated. "I wouldn't want to be one either. I'm not sure what Cordy wants. Whatever it is, it ain't me. Damn, man! Love hurts!" Angel groaned. "I could go crawling back to her with my tail between my legs, but I don't want to!"
Wolf nodded in agreement. "I'm not crawling back to her! I just did what I had to do! I can't help her sister wanted to tag along! I was glad Delvira was there, and I told Elvira that. That's when she told me to go screw her! Women! You know we could write a whole book about what not to do around a woman but not one damn word about what to do with one."
"You're right about that, Wolf," Angel told him. "I haven't a clue. I tried to talk to her, but it was like pissing in the wind! It all came back in my face! She wants me to give up being a Pirate! I guess she wants me to be her lap dog, and I just can't do it!"
"Guess we'd better go back," Wolf said. He dragged the second raptor behind him. "Give me a hand with this so we don't get it all dirty before we get it back to the cubs."
Angel picked up the other end. "You think maybe if I talk to Elvira, it would do any good?"
"Well . . . She'd probably throw you out too. If you talk to Elvira, I'll talk to Cordelia. Probably won't get anything but us thrown out again."
"Man, if she knew I was out here hunting, she'd probably flip it again! But I promised little guy I'd get him some food." They reached the kitchen, and Angel opened the door. They carried the meat inside. "If they need some more tomorrow, we'll get 'em some more," Angel told Zora. "Can we do anything else to help tonight?"
She shook her head and waited for them to give her the meat to feed the cubs.
"Where do you want the meat?"
Still silent, she jerked her head toward the table.
They deposited the meat on the table, and then Angel looked at Zora. "So now you're not talking either?"
"Look," she told him. "I tried. You're the one who's too damn blind to see what you have a chance at. This is a land that's just waiting to swallow people up in regrets, Angel, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to talk sense into humans or any one who still sometimes thinks of themselves as human."
"I can't stop being what I am, Zora, and that's what she wants me to do. Change myself completely, be a lap dog! Would you wish that on anybody?"
"Angel, I wasn't trying to overhear your conversation, but I did. And I still hear 'em now." She shook her head. "But I'm not going to try to make you see that she's just wanting you to put her first, not change yourself completely!"
He looked at her strangely. "I can't always put her first! I'm a Pirate! I have to do a Pirate's job, and I owe allegiance to my Captain! Jack didn't ask me to go out and take care of the problem, but I caused the problem so I fixed it. She blames Jack for it. The man's innocent! What was I to do?"
"Angel," Zora told him, looking at him with haunted eyes, "you're barking up the wrong tree. You want advice, go to a woman."
"You are a woman!"
Wolf groaned. Angel'd obviously forgotten what he was dealing with here. He knew the words even as they came for he had spent some time with her family before.
"I'm a bitch," she informed him, "and I ain't got time for this." She sat down at the table and, holding the cub in her lap, proceeded to rip the raptor into smaller pieces.
Connor looked around the group. "I'm sorry I got you into trouble, Angel, but I'm not sorry that I got lost. If I hadn't've gotten lost, I never would have met Zora and Vang. I can't give you advice on women. I don't know anything about them."
Sebastian leapt out of Connor's jacket and scuttled across the table to where Angel stood. He shook his head. "Mon, you got yourself into a sad mess this time! But if what Zora says is true, maybe she don't want you to change. Every woman wants to be put first in her man's life, but that doesn't mean they're asking for them to change, just to spend some time wit' 'em and be wit' 'em when they need you."
"She wouldn't let me spend time with her! She was going to leave the room! I couldn't have her do that, so I left! She wouldn't listen! Sebastian, what do I do now? I don't want to lose her, but I don't want to quit being First Mate!"
Sebastian looked at him. "You try tellin' her that, mon? You try tellin' her how important she is to you, not how important Jack and your duties are but how important she is?"
"Okay, I'll give it a try, but if you hear breaking things, you'll know what it is. And I'm not going to give it a third try!" He left the room, taking the stairs two at a time, and opened the bedroom door without knocking.
Cordelia was not asleep but was sitting at the windowsill, scribbling on a notebook she'd found on the dresser by the light of her candle. The tears streaming down her face made it hard for her to be able to read her own writing, especially as she was trembling while she wrote the note, but she knew that he'd be able to read it or, at least, find somebody who could read it to him. When the door suddenly opened, however, she froze but dared not look up.
"Cordy, we gotta get some things straight. Earlier, you wouldn't listen. You just wanted to fuss. Now I want you to listen without saying anything. I care a great deal about you. I've told you that already, and I told you that I loved you. I don't know what you want out of me. You won't give me a straight answer. I can't quit being a Pirate." He emphasized each word. "It's my life!"
"Every man needs a woman to stand with him, and I need you to love me. I can't be whatever it is you want me to be. I'm not a Knight in shining armor. I'm just me. I want you to be in my life. I want you to be there by my side in the night, and I want to be there for you when you need me. Tell me what you want." He finally grew quiet, expecting her to throw him out again.
"Angel," her voice trembled as she fought failingly to control her emotions, "the one thing I've wanted since a little girl is to have some one, just one person, who loves me for me but who will put me first. You won't do that. You say you love me, but you also say your Captain always comes first." She tried to lift her shoulders into a shrug but could not even manage that. "So there's nothing to talk about."
"Yes, there is! I don't know how to put you first, but I want to!" He looked at her, confusion plainly showing in his face.
She could feel him looking at her but dared not look at him. "Angel, you can't put both Jack and I first. I don't want you to give up being a Pirate. That's part of you, and I would never ask you to change yourself like that."
"Then what are you asking for, Cordelia? Show me. Tell me. Help me! My Gods, woman, you're driving me crazy! I don't want to lose you before I've ever had you!"
"I don't want to lose you either, Angel, but . . . I can't let myself be hurt again by somebody who's not willing to put me first! You say you are now but that you don't know how to. It's not that hard! I want somebody to be with me when I need them, not run all over a bloody island while I'm still out cold or scared or . . . or whatever . . . " It still hurt that he hadn't bothered to check on her until he'd gotten back much later that day. "I want somebody that I can be with through whatever comes, and to put me first, you'd have to . . . to let me help you with your duties however I could, not just run off at a second's notice to complete them! I'm willing to learn," she told him. "I'm eager to learn, but even if I did, you'd still expect me to stay back here and be safe while you went off risking your life for whatever reason!"
He was shocked at what she was saying. "Cordelia, you don't know how nasty some of the things I do are! Are you saying that you're willing to get down in the muck and blood and work side by side with me?"
"Yes!" Her eyes finally rose to his. "Angel, I'm not only willing to, I want to!"
"Then tomorrow I will start teaching you. It's not going to be easy. Have you ever held a weapon in your hand, a sword?"
"No," she answered him with a small shake of her head.
"That's part of it," he warned her. "Not only holding it but learning how to use it in case you have to lop somebody's head off."
She couldn't help making a small face at that, but she pushed it aside. "I may never get used to the language," she admitted, "but, Angel, I want to learn. I love you, and I want to be with you! I don't want you to change, but I'm willing to learn to become whatever you want me to just so that I can be with you!"
"But that would mean giving up all your lady ways, everything you've ever known, Cordelia!"
"Everything I've ever known before you, Angel, has all been part of a life spent in Hell. That Hell finally broke for a little while when you, Jack, and Brendan rescued me, but the only one who's ever brought happiness to me -- true happiness, even if short-lived, was you."
He smiled at her before grasping her hands and lifting them to his lips. "It's not going to be easy, Cordelia. A Pirate's life never is. It's dangerous and often times nasty, but if you're sure it's what you want, we'll start tomorrow teaching you what you need to know. I love you. I have never said that to any woman." He pulled her to him and looked into her eyes before taking her lips.
She did not speak verbally but still let her lips do her speaking. Her hands changed position so that she held hands with him as she returned his kiss in full. She tried to pour everything she was feeling now, including all her determination, into their kiss.
"We'd best get to bed, sweetheart. You'll need to rest. We start at dawn." He let go of her hands and looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Do you want me to stay?"
"Angel," she said, reaching a hand up and lovingly caressing his handsome face, "I want you with me."
He walked over, checked the door, and made sure it was locked. Then he came back and pulled the cover back. "Get in, sweetheart, and I'll get in with you."
While Angel had been busy locking the door, Cordelia had quickly hidden the notebook. She'd find a way to dispose of what she'd written sometime later. When he spoke to her again, he turned away from the place she'd hidden it and walked over to the bed. She slipped in and waited for him to join her.
He lay the cover back down and then climbed into the bed, keeping one blanket to cover himself. He smiled at her. "You might hate me tomorrow," he warned her.
"Angel," she reminded him, "I want to learn. I'm not going to hate you for teaching me how to be able to be with you."
He pulled her to him and offered his shoulder to her. He reached out, took the candle from the table, and blew it out. "If you need me, call me." He kissed her again.
Cordelia soon began to drift toward sleep, but she called for him one last time before letting her eyes shut. "Angel . . . I love you."
"I love you too, my lady," he whispered but doubted that she heard him as he felt she had fallen asleep. He closed his eyes to rest and wait for morning. It would be a hard day. He only hoped she didn't hate him when it was over. Women! They were such strange, delicate creatures on one hand, but he marveled how she held his world in the center of her palm!
Wolf sat quietly at the kitchen table, listening for any sign of loud noises from upstairs, but all was quiet. He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Angel had succeeded in winning Cordy over! He wished it would be that easy with Elvira. With Cordy, it had only been that she wanted to be first in Angel's life and Angel was willing to grant it to her, but with him and Elvira, he hadn't the foggiest clue. Did she hate him? Did she hate her sister? Women! He shook his head and stared at his feet.
He was disrupted from his morbid thoughts by a Jamaican voice talking to him and the clicking of crab claws in his direction. "And what be your problem, mon?"
"My woman hates me! Hell, she hates me and her sister!" He looked over at Sebastian. "What makes women be like that? Would you believe she told me to go screw her sister! Gods!" He wrung his hands in despair.
Sebastian quickly recovered his surprise. "Something had to bring that on, mon. What did you tell her right before she told you that?"
"Nothing except that I was glad that her sister had come with us! She saved our bacon, and she did! That fireball she let go with fried a lot of those little suckers! You saw it."
"Ah, so this sister be the Sorceress waiting for Connor in there?" He pointed to the living room. "She be a powerful Sorceress, mon, but what about her sister?" he asked, rubbing his chin with a claw.
"Elvira isn't a Sorceress. She's just a Vampiress and a beautiful one at that!"
"Sounds like a classic case of sibling jealousy," Sebastian told him. "One sister has talents that far exceeds the other one, so of course, the other one's jealous. And now her mon's glad that her sister went wit' him when she couldn't?" Sebastian shook his head and waited to see if Wolf might put two and two together for himself.
"But if Elvira had come instead of Delvira, we wouldn't have made it back! Elvira would've just gotten herself killed. What was I supposed to say -- I wish you were with me so that you could die!"
"Non, mon! 'Course not! But think about it! How do you think knowing that would've made the girl feel? That her sister saved her mon when she should've been the one doing the saving?"
"But she's not a Sorceress, so how could she have saved me? You're confusing me, Sebastian. What should I have said?"
"I don' think it's quite what you should have said as to what you shouldn't've said, mon. The matters of the heart be confusin'. That's because they don't have anythin' to do with logic or the brain. It's all in here." He touched a claw to his own heart.
"I told her I loved her. She still wanted me gone! I don't love Delvira, but I do like her. I'm not supposed to like my sister-in-law?"
"Non. Not liking her would get you into trouble," Sebastian admitted, "but liking her too much will too."
"I know! I can't win for losing!" Wolf told him. "I think Elvira's great! She's wonderful in the bed! She's the best sex I've ever had! But I can't lie and tell her that I wished she'd've been with us, because I was glad she was back here safe! I don't want her hurt!"
"I know, mon, but it's a fine line you're walkin'. Thing is you tellin' her that her sister saved you when she couldn't . . . That be done made it look like Delvira's better than she is."
"Too late now," Wolf said. "I shouldn't have said anything, but I can't go back and undo it. What do I do now?"
Vang growled from underneath the table. Sebastian peeked down at him. "Well, it's a classic method," he agreed, "but I don't know where he'd be getting any of that from here."
"Huh?" Wolf asked eagerly, hoping there was a solution to his problem.
"He say you need to go to the woman wit' roses and chocolates."
"Where am I gonna get roses and chocolates? Besides, she'd only throw 'em at me!"
"Then go to the woman," Sebastian suggested, thinking aloud, "without anything. Maybe tell her you would've gotten them but there ain't any on this here island. But try tellin' her that you didn't mean to make it seem that Delvira was better'n her. More importantly, that you don' think so."
"I'll try," Wolf said doubtfully, "but I'm probably gonna end up flying down the stairs again when she throws a loaded dog at me."
Vang growled. "Non," Sebastian told him, "you won't be doin' any o' that. 'Sides, mon, you know Zora'd get you on that." He scuttled closer to Wolf and explained in a hushed whisper, "He was offerin' to eat her dog for ya."
"Nah. Don't do that, Vang. That's her baby. That dog is definitely something else! I don't want anything to happen to the little guy, even if he is a troublemaker. Good night, guys. I'll try it again." He slowly walked his way up the stairs and back to the room. He tried the handle, expecting it to be locked, but it opened easily. He walked inside.
"Elvira? Sorry. I would've got you . . . candy and flowers, but there wasn't any here. You misunderstood me earlier. I wasn't saying that your sister was better than you. I was just saying that I was glad she was there to help. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and the most beautiful woman I've ever met." His voice trailed off, waiting for her to answer and expecting to be hit at any moment.
Elvira did not turn to look at him, but she did move her head slightly enough from hiding in Gonk's tear-soaked wool so that she could ask him, "You don't . . . think she's better than me? Stronger?"
"No one's better than you, sweetheart, not to me! I think you're the greatest!"
She sat up slowly, her head pounding. She glanced at him. "You're the first one to ever think that," she whispered.
"I don't just think that, baby; I know it! To me, you are the greatest!" He moved closer to her and then knelt by her feet so that he could look up into her face. "You thought . . . I wanted your sister because she was more experienced than you? I've never wanted any woman like I want you, Elvira! I like your sister a lot, but that's because she's your sister."
Elvira's black lips were slowly but steadily pulling up into a smile. "I . . . I'm sorry I thought that, then."
He nibbled at her fingers and kissed her in the palm of her hand. "Let's make up. We had the fight. Thank Gods it's over!" He pushed her back on the bed. "Now it's make-up time. I want to do anything that you want to do! What do you want to do?" He began to nibble up her arm slowly, his eyes connecting with hers every now and again.
His nibbling was driving her wild, and she wanted to feel him all over her body. Yet, at the same time, she remembered her earlier question of rather there was anything besides animal attraction and the best sex ever between them. He loved her, she remembered. He actually knew Delvira, and she was still the sister he preferred. Though her sister was so much more powerful and talented, he still wanted her! "Wolf . . . " She growled his name playfully before rolling over with him. They nearly squished Gonk, but the poodle jumped out of the way just in time. Gazing down into Wolf's eyes, Elvira lowered her lips to his.
He felt himself melting at her mere touch. Thank Gods, the argument was over! In the future, he'd be sure not to mention Delvira's name in any way. He didn't want to get locked out of Paradise again! He began to kiss her more tenderly while his hands roamed over her delicious body. He was looking forward to this night! Yesterday was too far away! He needed her now!
Connor watched closely as Zora cut up the meat. He held the little boy cub who was trying desperately to reach the meat. "Small pieces for small fellas," he said as he reached out and got a tiny piece and held it for the cub. The cub chewed ravenously and began to growl as he ate. Connor laughed. "Feisty appetite!"
As Connor had began to feed the cub he held so had Zora began to feed the little female in her lap. She took to the food as swiftly and greedily as her brother. Zora laughed at Connor's words, a sound that made Vang and Sebastian both pick up their heads in pleasant surprise, but her laughter was gone far too quickly for their liking. "Yeah," she replied, "but you would be too if you'd been without for as long as they have."
Connor picked up another piece and gave it to the cub. "Do we need to give them baths or something tomorrow?"
"Vang can handle that detail," she told him. "It'd probably be best that way." Vang growled from under the table, and she reached out to run a foot gently down his side. "Like you're not gonna enjoy it."
"Do we need to hold them the entire time that they're eating or might it be best to put the food down with them?"
"We can divide it," she replied, "and then you can put him down if you want." She started to separate the meat into two groupings.
Connor went to the cabinet and looked inside, still holding the cub. He found two large bowls and brought them back to the table. "We can put the meat in here and then put the cubs down to their bowls. We need to find something to put some water in too."
She nodded, realizing for the first time that he actually did have a good brain on his shoulders. She'd been so involved in getting them food and the fact that they were actually living that she hadn't even thought about water. She gave the female another piece, then started dumping the food into the bowls.
As soon as the bowls were full, Connor reached for one, set it down, and set the cub in front of it. He then went back to looking in the cupboards for a big pan for water. He didn't find any in the top cupboards, but he finally located a big, metal pan in the bottom cupboard. He filled it full of water and sat it down between the two bowls. Then he stepped back to watch the cubs eat.
Zora had put the female cub down, as well, and had been about to see about the water situation when she realized that Connor was quickly fulfilling that need. She watched him for a moment before sliding down to the floor so that she could more closely watch the cubs eat. She still had trouble believing that they were actually real, not to mention that she, Vang, and Sebastian were in Jack Sparrow's house. She shook her head slowly. Was she dreaming? Would she wake up soon to the same old nightmare? She would have once prayed not, but she had given up praying a while back.
"I'm going to look to see if I can find another empty room for you to stay in soon as the cubs are finished. 'Course we could move their food in with them," Connor said. "I won't be gone long. I also need to check on my Father. Delvira said he fainted earlier. It's probably his blood. It's not very good. He's been to the doctor about it, but all they wanted to do was stick some leeches on him and he said there wasn't any way in Hell."
"You should mention it to Jack," she told him, looking at him through worried eyes as she wondered just how bad his father's blood was. "I'm sure he'd come up with a better solution."
"Maybe so, but Jack's not a doctor. He still might know something. If you need something, call me." He smiled at her one last time as he went out the kitchen door and back into the living room where he saw Delvira waiting for him.
She stood the minute she saw Connor come out. "Are they eating now?"
"Oh, yes! Growling and slurping it down! Hard to believe they're real and that the raptors didn't get 'em. Poor little things! They almost starved to death!"
Delvira nodded. "I know. It's a miracle they survived." She began to lead the way to James' and Smee's room.
James had awoken but had not left his room or woken Samuel. He was laying there, praying Connor was okay and would soon return to him. Connor wasn't his flesh and blood, but James could not have loved him more if he had been. He heard a knock at the door. "Yes?" he called out in a weak voice.
"James," Delvira called, "it's me, and . . . I've got a surprise for you." She gently nudged Connor.
"Open the door; it's not locked." His eyes lit up when he saw the surprise. He sat up on his side of the bed. "Thank the Gods, Connor! You're alive!" His skin was very pale, and Connor realized that it was his heart again.
"Dad!" he cried as he came forward and hugged James. "You rest."
"I can now that you're safe," James told him. "Samuel?" James called. "Wake up; Connor's home."
Smee stirred only slightly at James' voice. "Thas good," he murmured in his sleep.
"Poor guy! He's plumb tuckered out," James declared. "He takes care of me and never grumbles. I'm not gonna wake him up all the way, Connor, but he'll be thrilled that you're back. Frederic's in the next room. I haven't heard a word out of him since Samuel threw him in there. He almost caused a riot tonight. The boi's plumb crazy! Can't do a thing with him! Maybe we should throw him back to Pan."
Connor knew his father was only kidding and that there was no way he'd ever throw anybody to Pan. "Rest now, Father, and I'll see you in the morning, but if you need me . . . "
"I know, Connor. It's nice to have some one you can count on." He lay back down and watched as Connor left the room. Connor turned back once to look at Delvira. "Coming?"
"In a minute," she smiled reassuringly at him. "I need to have a word with your father first."
"Dad, we rescued two of the cutest tiger cubs you'd ever want to see, and we're feeding them in the kitchen!"
"That's good," James said. "Make sure they don't bite anybody."
"I've gotta find a room for Zora and her family. See you in the morning." He slipped out into the hallway.
Delvira walked over to the door and closed it quietly. She then walked over to James' bedside. "James," she whispered to him, "there's something we need to talk about."
"You don't have to whisper, Delvira. Smee's out. Dynamite couldn't wake him."
"I don't doubt that," she replied, "but I doubt you'd want anybody outside overhearing our conversation either."
"Why would anybody be listening?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes. "They're all busy with their own little worlds."
"Perhaps," she replied, "perhaps not. If there's one thing that the labyrinth has taught me, it's that walls have ears. Look," she spoke gently as she dropped down beside his bed so that she could look him in the face, "I know about Frederic."
"Frederic's a good boy, but he's a little bit off in the head," James said. "Pan messed him up. It's like he's been programmed to do his duty and that's all he studies. We'll have to keep him locked up for a while; he's having an especially bad spell of it. I guess you saw that, though."
"I did," she admitted, "but it's not his fault, James. I know he's been brainwashed. I don't have my books with me, but between the knowledge I have accessible and all those that I can reach, I'm sure I can find something to . . . well, unbrainwash him."
James' hand reached out and touched Delvira's. "You could do that? Help him?"
"I have a lot of contacts," she told him. "Somewhere, there's going to be a spell to undo what's been done to him, and I promise you I will find it."
"Thank you, sweet lady. I'm about at my wit's end with that boi. Never thought we'd get out of Neverland, and now that we have, Frederic seems to have gone over the deep end. I don't ever want to go back there, but I fear Pan will come after me. After all, it's part of my punishment."
"James, there's got to be a way to lift that punishment. I know there's only one for Jareth's, but they let him have a way so there must be at least one for you too. We just have to find it."
"It was a miracle we escaped Neverland without his knowledge. We had to steal his Fairy and sprinkle pixie dust on us and the ship. I dreamed about it, and it took a while to catch her. I was afraid it wouldn't actually work, but it did. We sailed out of Neverland and came to this world. I released the little bit so that she could return to Neverland. I know she flew right to that boi. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't gotten here yet."
"Maybe he's having trouble getting past the dinosaurs," Delvira suggested, hoping to lift James' spirits.
"If only," James said, "the dinosaurs would eat him! But I know that's not gonna happen. If they did, they'd just spit him right back out again. He'd poison them. Dratted boi! I hope he gets his one day." His eyes were closing, and he was almost back to sleep.
"Sleep well, my friend," Delvira whispered to him, "but know that you and your family are no longer alone. I will find that spell for Frederic, and when that boi does come, he'll find he has a lot more to tangle with than he ever counted on."
"Thanks, Delvira. Good night. See you in the morning." He barely heard her as she left. He went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Once out in the hallway, Delvira looked for Connor but did not see the boy anywhere. Shrugging, she headed for the room Smee had marked for her. She opened the door and stepped into her room but froze at the sight she was met with. Fieries and Goblins covered every available spot of her room! They were all over the bed and hanging from the draperies, closet, mirror, and even the very ceiling itself! There was no way she wanted to deal with them that night, so as quietly as Delvira had entered, she exited even more silently and closed the door behind her.
She tiptoed away from the room, wondering where she could sleep. The couch came into her view, and she went to it and laid down. She closed her eyes, but instead of sleeping, her thoughts turned instantly to her husband. Where was he, and why had he not returned yet?
Connor had found a room, the very last room, and returned to the kitchen to tell Zora that it was the last room on the right. "I'll help you move the babies in there," he said, "and we can all get settled down for the night. My room's the first room on the left. My stupid brother's in there. I've gotta go in there and keep a watch on him."
"You should be sleeping yourself," she told him. She knew he'd been through a lot that night.
"Hopefully, Frederic's asleep. If he's not and he bothers me, I am very liable to knock him out. I need to get some rest too." He picked up the bowl of food that was only half-gone and picked up the boy. "Come on, and I'll show you where the room is."
He had not seen Delvira when he had come back to the kitchen, but he now saw that she appeared to be asleep on the couch. He'd help her to find a room tomorrow. He had thought she had had a room as he had seen a door marked with a D. He wondered why she had not gone in there.
When he reached the room, he sat the bowl down long enough to open the door and then carried it and the now-squirming cub into the room. He turned and lit a candle just as the others started coming into the room. He saw that Zora was carrying the bowl of food and the bowl of water and wondered where the cub was. He smiled when he saw Vang carrying it in his mouth as a mother would.
"If y'all need anything, let me know, and I'll help you get it. Have a good night." He walked to the door and was about to leave but looked back one last time, hoping Zora would say something to him.
"Ya know," Zora told him, "if that brother of yours won't let you sleep, you could spend the night in here. We don't bite."
"Thanks, Zora, but Frederic won't get any rest unless I get in there with him and calm him down. He's not with it. In fact, he's rather . . . crazy. He lives for his duty."
"That's not always a bad thing," she told him, her mind turning back to a certain Irish woman she'd known.
"Unfortunately, his duty is killing Pirates.""Well, that is," Zora admitted. "How in the Hell did that happen?"
"He got brainwashed in Neverland."
Zora stared at the boy even as Vang, having already put the cub to sleep with her brother, growled in confusion. "Neverland?" Zora repeated.
"Yeah, Neverland. That's where we're from. Have you heard of it?"
Zora nodded mutely.
"Well, have a good night," Connor called as he stepped out the door. He was dreading having to go to Frederic.
As soon as Connor had left and Zora and Vang had heard his footsteps fade down the hallway, they looked at each other. Zora shrugged. "So much for that one." Vang shook his head, then circled and laid down. Sebastian hopped onto his side as Zora laid down on the floor. She, too, rested her head on Vang's side. Vang and Zora watched over the others as they fell asleep before finally drifting off themselves.
Connor reached the room where he knew his brother was. He prayed Frederic was asleep. He turned the handle of the door and tried to push the door inward, but it wouldn't budge. "Frederic, get off the damned door!" he muttered through it.
Frederic heard him. "'Bout time you showed up! Come in here!" He opened the door. "I've been treated like a prisoner all night, shut up and locked in here!"
"What'd you do -- try to do your duty on them?"
"They laughed at me, Connor!" Frederic said. "They think I'm kidding! They think I won't kill them!"
"Frederic, for Gods' sakes, shut up for once! It's bad enough I have to sleep in the same room with you, but I'll be damned if I'm listening to your duty tonight! Dad's had one of his attacks, and it's all because of you and your duty!"
"I didn't make him have an attack," Frederic denied.
"No, but you caused the conditions to happen. Go to bed!"
"NO!" Frederic hollered back at Connor.
"Keep your voice down! You'll wake the others!" Connor told him. "If you don't, I'm gonna knock you out!"
"That's your answer to everything!" Frederic retorted.
"Well, your answer's always duty! I'm going to count to three, and you'd better be in that bed! If you're not, I'm gonna put you there!"
"I'm glad you're back, Connor," Frederic admitted as he went to the bed. He lay down in the bed, fully clothed with his sword.
"Frederic, how are you going to sleep with the sword in the bed?"
"If I don't sleep with it, you're going to take it."
"Just so that you won't run me through while I'm trying to sleep." Connor lay down on his side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while. He heard Frederic move, lay his sword on the floor, and settle back in bed. "Good night, Frederic."
He blew out the candle and lay back to think about the events of the night and about the strange girl he'd met. He hoped he'd have many chances of being close to her the next day. If Frederic wanted to move in on her, he'd get his butt whupped. Connor was going to lay his claim on her. He didn't want anybody else interested in her. He finally fell asleep, listening to Frederic's snores.
Brown eyes blinked open in the darkness. They turned first to the single, empty bed in the room and then to the window before the man shook his head. "Captain?" he called. When she did not answer him, he tried another tactic, "Kitty?"
"Go to sleep, Chong."
With another shake of his head, he stood up and crossed over to where she stood by the window. Her arms were crossed before her, and her purple dragon lay over her head and shoulders, his tail circling her neck. He did not need to look at her to know that there were tears in her eyes. "Kitty," he spoke again, touching her shoulder gently, "you need to go to bed."
"Somebody's got to keep guard."
"Let me do it for a while."
"You need to sleep."
"So do you." He knew she was stubborn and that he would get nowhere with her unless he used her duty against her. "If you don't get at least a little sleep tonight," he asked her, "how do you expect to be able to protect anybody tomorrow?"
She sighed, realizing that he was right. If she did not get some sleep, she would be useless when they were attacked next. "All right," she told him, "but wake me in an hour or sooner if you see any sign of danger."
Chong nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He watched as she made her way to bed, laid down, and pulled the covers over her. Lockheed curled into her arms, and she was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
He'd known she had been fighting sleep and would have continued if he had disagreed. Shaking his head and stifling a sigh, Chong turned back to the window. He'd just have to be sure he was out of the room and somewhere safe from her wrath when she did wake up; there was no way he was going to wake her up after she'd only had an hour of sleep.
