Chapter Twenty-two

Wesley had not gone to join the fight as he was not a fighter but a thinker. After the others cleared out of the basement, he watched and waited patiently for his chance. His eyes darted every now and again to the basement door.

Fred knew what he was thinking but also knew that the others had grown aware of their presence. She grinned at Chong. "Ah just can't wait for breakfast ta get started. Ah'm starvin'! Ah hope the others hurry up soon."

Chong smiled and offered her a muffin. Even as Fred began to eat and toss delighted compliments at the Chinese cook, she heard the Irish man mumble something about going outside.

Chong looked toward the door where Sean was exiting with worried eyes. He knew something must have him thinking about his past again but also knew that he couldn't do anything about it.

It was then that Blue, Donkey, and Elvira entered. The trio brought Chong's attention instantly to them, and Fred gently elbowed Wesley. Now was their chance!

Wesley sneaked down the stairs carefully, hoping not to make a sound and alert Chong that he was down there. He could not believe the destruction of such rare beasts! He could tell the difference between the two types of raptors, and he wanted to study both of them more closely. He knew he could never carry one of the big ones out of there without being seen, but he could take one of the smaller ones which he now attempted to pick up.

Fred had followed behind Wesley and was sticking as close as she could to him without risking the candle getting too close to him. She gazed in amazement at the corpses that littered the ground. "Somebody had fire down here," she commented, pointing out several that were burned to a crisp. "Think it was the dragons?"

"No. It was probably that Sorceress woman. I think her name's Delvira. She did come down here. What's that?" Wesley paused from picking up the raptor to glance in the corner.

Fred peered at where Wesley was looking. She saw a round, whitish object but could not tell what it was. She inched slowly closer until the candlelight revealed the object to be . . . "An egg!" Fred breathed excitedly.

Wesley looked from the egg to the raptor and back again. Could Fred carry one of them -- maybe the egg -- or was it too heavy? he wondered. He knew she could never carry the dinosaur, but he also knew he couldn't safely carry both the raptor and the egg. "Fred, see if you can pick the egg up."

Fred set the candle in a safe place nearby, then tried lifting the egg. She had no problem lifting it but then frowned. "How are we gonna get past them?"

"Good question," Wesley told her. "Let's take them to the top of the stairs and figure something out once we get there."

Fred cradled the egg safely in one arm while holding the candle with her other hand to light their way. When they reached the top of the stairs, she again put the candle down and opened the door just a tiny crack. She peered out but didn't see anybody.

When Wesley reached Fred, he looked out the crack, but he couldn't see any one. "Don't see any one out there, Fred. Where could they have gone?"

"The food's gone too," she whispered. "They must be settin' up in the dinin' room. Places like this have dinin' rooms."

"How are we going to get past the living room?"

"Ah dunno," Fred answered, her slender shoulders lifting in a shrug. "Maybe . . . Nah. Somebody'd be bound ta notice that."

"Let's find something to carry them in," he recommended. "You look over there, and I'll look over here." He laid the raptor on the floor and looked very quietly into the cabinets. He grinned when he found a basket that was large enough to hold both the raptor and the egg. He used a tablecloth to cover its top. "Act normal when we go out there," he told her. "We'll take it up to our room and study it!"

"Ah wonder . . . " Fred spoke while looking at the spot where she knew the egg was hidden. "That egg's not cracked or anythin', Wesley. Maybe we could . . . " It was then that the door opened, and Chong came bustling in.

Wesley smiled at him. "Are there some knives that I could borrow?"

Chong looked at him weirdly. "What do you need knives for?" he asked.

"Protection," Wesley answered.

Chong wondered why he didn't have a sword like everybody else that was running around when Fred piped up. "Ah just . . . Ah just can't keep goin' around without something to protect me!" She looked up at Chong with big, pleading eyes.

"There are plenty of knives," Chong told her, pointing to a drawer. "Take your pick."

"Oh, thank ya!" She beamed at him, then rushed over to the drawer.

Wesley watched as Fred picked out several wicked-looking knives. "That should do," he directed. "Thanks, Chong."

"You're welcome. Breakfast will be served soon." He tossed another muffin at Fred. He hated seeing a skinny girl. He thought that if she turned sideways, he'd miss seeing her. He turned his mind back to picking up some more trays of food even as Wesley and Fred slipped out of the kitchen and headed back to their room.

Once inside, Wesley took the dead raptor out and carried it over to the table. He could hardly wait to start carving it and discovering what was on the inside!


Cole was not sure how to be some one else's eyes. Should he take Piper by the hand and lead her or scoop her up and carry her there? Although the latter would be easier, she might not prefer it. He thought he'd better ask her. After all, she had been the one to run out that morning before he woke up.

Just because circumstances had changed to make her need him didn't mean she wanted him. Yet, his mind could not help wondering, if that were the case, why had she spoken to her sisters about loving him? He was totally confused. "Piper? Do you want me to lead you by the hand to the bathroom so you can wash or do you want me to carry you?"

"I think . . . " She paused in what she had been about to say and asked instead, "Are all my sisters gone?"

"Yes. I don't know where they went, but they've all wandered off to get ready for breakfast, I guess."

"Then I . . . I think it might be best if you took us somewhere we can talk and . . . be alone?"

Cole thought for a minute. The only place he figured nobody would be was the place he didn't want to go -- where the dead raptors were waiting in the basement. That left their room, but he figured Brendan had probably returned to it. Piper's room would have Prue for certain.

"We can check the room and see if Brendan's in it. Prue will be in yours. I hope Brendan's not in mine." He hadn't seen him in a while so he figured Brendan had holed up in the room. He scooped Piper up and shimmered to the room only to find that it was empty and dark. He lit a candle after he had sat Piper on the bed. "Okay, darling. Talk to me," he said as he knelt before her and took her hand in his.

Piper had been wondering if Brendan was indeed in the room but had only heard what she thought to be Cole moving around. She then heard his footsteps approach the place where she sat on the bed and felt him take her hand in his. When he spoke to her, she knew they were alone. "Cole, I know I have . . . a lot of explaining to do . . . I don't want you to think for a moment, though, that I regretted last night and that was why I wasn't here when you woke up this morning. Last night was the most wonderful night of my life."

He didn't say anything until he had lifted her hand and kissed it. "I just figured you got up early and went to cook breakfast. I know how you are -- always trying to take care of everybody else."

She sighed. "I do," she replied honestly, "but that's not going to be so easy to do now and . . . and that's not why I wasn't here this morning. I wasn't ready . . . to . . . to answer your question then."

Cole was trying desperately to block the pain in his heart. Now came the words that Cole dreaded. He almost wanted to block his ears to keep from hearing them, but he also knew he had to hear them. Maybe he could use them on himself later when he was being an idiot, mooning over her? She didn't want him. It was plain for him to see, but part of him kept telling him She must have wanted you; she asked for you! He shook his head. "I don't know if I'm ready to hear the answer, Piper," he told her.

"Cole," confusion creased her features as she informed him, "you already did. I told my sisters . . . my family," she amended, remembering that her godmother now knew as well, "that I love you. I meant that then, and I mean it now."

"I love you too, Piper!" His eyes shone with love even though he knew she couldn't see it. He pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly. "My heart is singing, because it's so full of love for you! I am so happy that you want me! You are my Angel! You are my dream come true!" He kissed her again.

Her hands groped until she could find his face. She stroked his cheeks lovingly but pulled back enough so that she could tell him, "Cole, I'm not an Angel, no more than you are. I know you're a Demon and a Pirate, and I love you still. You know already I'm a Witch, but . . . Things might never be the same again," she whispered sadly.

"Why do you think that, Piper? Do you even want them to be the same? I think they'll be better! I know you can't see, but it may be only temporary. Even if it isn't, I don't mind being your eyes. It's an honor to be your eyes."

"But, Cole," she asked, "what if it is permanent? You say that you don't mind being my eyes, but what if I'm like this for the rest of my life?" There were tears in her eyes and throat, and she had trouble making her words understandable for the emotions that rose in her. She was scared not only for herself but for what her handicap would mean to those she loved, and though she'd hidden that fear well from her family, it was now coming out for she felt no need to hide anything from the man she loved. "What good can I be to any one if I can't see!"

"Your eyes are not what make you you. It doesn't matter that you can't do for us now. It's a chance for those of us who love you to do for you. You've taken care of your family for your entire life, Piper. Now it's time for you to relax and let others do for you. There are people blind from birth that are able to do things. I don't know how they learn, but maybe some one else here does. In the meantime, you have but to ask and I'll do anything you want me to." He knew she was afraid, but he would not let any harm come to her.

She had not thought of that. Could it be possible that she could learn to cope with never being able to see again? Never being able to see his handsome face again? To see her sisters? "Cole, even if it is possible that . . . that I could learn, I could never learn to fight like this or . . . or to cook. I'd burn the whole house down!"

"You can tell me how, and together we can cook. Together we can do anything, Piper! You have but to believe! All things are possible!"

She smiled sadly. "I remember my Mother telling me that when I was a little girl. You know, we owe her a lot. I still didn't know what in the world I was going to do until I saw her. But . . . " There was a question that had been weighing on her mind since seeing her mother and grandmother, but she had dared not ask a single soul about it. "Cole, as glad as I was to see them, at the same time, I was scared. I didn't want to be without you or my sisters. Does that . . . Does that make me a bad daughter?"

"No, sweetheart! You have never been a bad daughter, a bad anything! Your mother and grandmother loved you a great deal as do the rest of your family. You were not a bad daughter. You've done everything you can for every one you love. Don't think because they died and you lived, that you failed them. They had a choice, and they made it. You, being the dutiful daughter, even though you knew it was wrong, attempted to follow through with them."

"Actually, I . . . I thought they were doing the right thing," she told him. "After all, we had no other means of escape, and if we'd fought them, it would have only made things worse for others. We didn't know you were coming." She stroked his cheeks. "I would have never dared dream of such a rescue being real."

"I'm just glad that we were there to rescue you in time but sorry that we couldn't rescue the ones that passed. Humans are strange. Some of them you could live without for they're evil through and through while there are others, who if you had to live without them, your life would not be complete. Some of them help you in every way that they can and never expect anything back in return. I've been lucky to have some of the good ones in my life. I have a feeling you've had good ones in your life, as well, besides your family. Don't blame all of them for the stupidity and the wrong-doings of the weak-minded. You're lucky. I don't think we have a single member of our family that's not good deep down in their heart and won't do everything in their power to help you. I've considered myself to be lucky to be allowed to be with them, and now I'm even luckier because I have you."

She smiled, his words warming her heart. Her hands were still cupping his face, and she leaned forward slowly until finding his lips. Then she touched her own to his.


Sean walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his gaze upon the ground. He was lost deep in thought of the beautiful woman he had once been lucky enough to have as a wife. Even though he had only had her a short while, her memory had stayed with him through the centuries. He could see her still -- her blonde hair flowing in the wind as she gave him a come-hither smile. She had been wild when he had found her, but one kiss had tamed both of them -- at least, tamed them enough that their hearts were forever tied.

He did not look where he was walking and almost fell over a black cat. He wondered why the cat was outside on its own and reached down to pick the cat up. He almost dropped the cat when the cat said, "Hello, Sean! It's been a long time."

"Salem!" Sean asked. "Where have ye been!"

Salem peered at him. "You want the long version or the short one?"

"We have nothin' but time on our hands, so tell me the long version." Sean had thought Salem was dead, but there was no mistaking his voice. This was the first time Sean had run across any other people that had been involved in the Crime of the Millennium! He had thought them all to be dead! He could not believe that, at long last, he was talking again to his fearless leader! "They made ye a cat, aye?"

Salem nodded and began to talk. He started with his punishment and what little he'd learned of the others, leaving out the facts that he had recently met up with James, Smee, and even Jareth. He told him about being trapped with the Spellmens but did not admit to all that they had done to him. He only gave Sean a small taste of that, but still it was enough to make the Irish man burn with fury. He could tell that Sean was aching to blast them when he told him that they'd even tried selling him for stud service but was quick to assure his old friend, at last, that he'd ran away. Then began the tale of how he had found himself in such a horrid market only to be rescued by Faith and the others. He wound the story up with explaining how they'd come to crash on the island.

Sean listened, and his anger grew even more. "If I could get me hands upon the bloody bitches, I'd make 'em pay fer all they did tae ye an' fer all they thought about diing an' did nae ha'e a chance tae carry out!"

"They met theirs," Salem purred reassuringly to him. "That same Demon that sent us into crashing here destroyed Port Royal and everything left on it."

Sean continued carrying Salem and headed back into the house. "'Tis good tae be wit' ye again, ol' friend. Is there any . . . cure fer ye bein' a cat?"

"I had a chance once," Salem replied, "but those bitches made sure I failed it." He shook his head. "That's in the past, though, and there's something in the present that I believe should have your attention." He smiled mysteriously up at Sean. "Or should I say some ones?"

"Who's that, Salem?" Sean asked.

"James Hook," Salem answered, "Smee, and the wife of none other than our dear old friend, Jareth!" His tail swished.

Sean could not believe what he was hearing. "They're all alive an' here! How can that be? I thought they were all dead! Will miracles never cease! Where are they!"

"They all took rooms on the first floor." Salem sniffed the air and began directing Sean.

Sean carried Salem carefully and followed the directions Salem was giving him. He knocked on one of the doors and was delighted when it was opened by Smee. "Smee, ye ol' seadog!" Sean hollered. He reached out and grasped him in a bear hug.

Smee was hugging Sean just as hard and grinning just as big, but what the two men did not realize was that they were about to squish all the air out of Salem! "B-B-Br . . . " Salem tried desperately to squeak out.

"Sorry, Salem," Sean told him even as he sat the cat upon the floor. "Should've put ye down first. Where's James?" he asked.

Salem licked a paw.

James had been sitting in a chair with his feet up, trying to rest. He had come to his feet the minute the door had opened, his hand going to his sword. "Sean!" he called out to his friend even as he stepped forward, hand extended.

Sean took James' hand but then drew him into a hug. Smee's grin grew even larger as he joined in. James returned the hug. He wondered what kind of plan was coming into play. This was the first time since it had happened that any of them had been able to be together!


Logan had not let go of 'Ro since she had come back around, but he had maneuvered her out of the house to a private place. Now he released her. "Ya gotta a lot o' explainin' ta do, little darlin'. I wanna know why you were down in the basement unprotected ta start with. All ya had to do was ask me an' I would've went with ya." He gazed concernedly into her eyes.

She had been waiting for the questions to come but had not expected them to start in this manner. Perhaps she should not have allowed him to steer her, but now it was too late. Besides, she would still have to face him sooner or later, and running away would be the coward's way out. She was not a coward. "Logan, I do not need a man to protect me!" Lightning flashed in her angry eyes, but then she relented just a tad at the look on his face. "I know you're concerned and you have every right to be, but I am never unprotected."

"But, 'Ro, darlin', we're supposed ta be partners! Ya went without me! I know ya can take care o' yerself most times, but look what happened! I almost lost ya!" He reached out, grabbed her again, and hung on to her as though he would never let go. "I couldn't bare that, 'Ro! I just found ya, an' I know yer tough an' able to protect yerself, but if I'd've been there, I could've torn those dinosaurs limb from limb before they ever got ya! I'd've smelled 'em, an' you two would've never been down there!"

The depth of his concern surprised her yet also warmed her heart. Was there still a chance for them? Did he truly care so deeply for her even after last night? "Logan," she spoke with a gentle smile, raising a hand up to touch his face, "even you should know the folly of that. You would have gone down there, and there is no way I would have let you go alone."

"I wouldn't've let ya go alone, an' don't tell me Piper was with ya! She has about as much protection as a newborn babe! Ya would've been lunch for those things! I would've never gotten to hold ya again or tell ya how much I love ya! Uh-oh," he said. "I didn't mean to go ahead an' blurt that out. I know yer not ready an' I didn't wanna put pressure on ya. But since I did, I might as well go ahead an' tell ya that I love ya more than any woman I've ever known before an' there've been a lot o' women in my life but none as special as you." He grew quiet, expecting her to be angry at him.

Tears filled her eyes instead. "Oh, Logan . . . " she breathed his name before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead. "I do love you," she admitted. "I don't know how this could have happened as fast as it has, but I know that I do. That's . . . That's why I wasn't there this morning and why I ended up going down with Piper to the basement. I was scared . . . scared that you would no longer want me."

"Oh Gods, 'Ro! You're mistakin' on that! I haven't stopped wantin' ya since the first minute I saw ya! I . . . still don't know how I got so lucky last night, but ya made all my dreams come true, all except one, an' that one I hope yer'll make come true." He released her for a minute, reached up around his neck, and removed his amulet.

"I . . . I want you to wear this, 'Ro, always next to yer heart. It will protect ya. My dream is . . . one day, fer ya to marry me. I know I ain't got nothin' to offer ya now. I'm just a Pirate, but I will one day. I have ambitions. I'm not lazy, an' I'm a hard worker." He looked up into her eyes, awaiting her decision.

Ororo's heart was soaring though already her mind was calculating the risks. "Do not talk that way about yourself, Logan. You may be a Pirate, but you are not a "just" anything and have so much to offer. I've never been one to seek riches." She paused, "Well, not in that manner at least. You are the kind of man I have always dreamed about and never thought existed. You possess a good heart, a fierce yet loyal spirit, and a wise mind -- all attributes far greater than any wealth."

He held the amulet out to her. "Then you'll wear my amulet?" he asked hopefully.

She reached out for it at first, but her hand gently touched his instead of the amulet. "There is still a lot you do not know about me," she warned him, "and I must also consider the girls. They must have some one there for them, but I have not asked them yet if they . . . if they plan to stay."

"There's so much about me that ya don't know, 'Ro, that it could fill a book, but we have time fer that later. I hope the girls'll want ta stay, but if they don't, when we get rescued, we can always go to Tortuga or somewhere else. I want us to be a family." He smiled at her. "I'll always be there for you an' 'em. 'Course by takin' me, you're gettin' a ready made family any way."

She smiled. "A fact that only makes the blessing so much greater. Logan, I never thought this day would come. I'd . . . given up on men, on family . . . but yes, I want to be yours and make our families one!"

"Then you've just made me the happiest man in the world, 'Ro! Lean down here so that I can put my amulet on ya!"

Her hands lifted from him as she knelt before him. She bowed her head and swept her long, white hair to one side, allowing him access to her neck. Her mind tried to wonder, but her heart pushed its fears away. Logan was unlike any other man she'd ever met. He loved her, and she loved him! This union was not a lie; it was destiny and a blessing from the Goddess who she silently thanked.

He tied the amulet around her neck in a secure knot and then kissed her neck where it rested. He wished he were a taller man so that he could sweep her into his arms and plant his lips on hers, but size did not seem to matter to her. He walked around in front of her, slipped his arms around her, and kissed her. "When yer ready to tie the knot, little darlin', let me know. We have several that can perform the ceremony." He kissed her again with deepening passion.

Logan's kisses were burning her to her core, and she was returning them with full force and then some. Gentle breezes played over their bodies and whistled through the branches of surrounding trees. She would have loved to have stayed there with him for an eternity, but she knew that their talk was not yet over and, in a way, was just beginning. Reluctantly, she lifted her lips from his. "Logan, I know the entire crew is your family in a way, but is there any one else that you consider family as deeply as Jack?"

"Jack an' Brendan are my adopted sons. They're both special ta me; Goddess bless their souls. Haven't been able ta do much ta help either one o' 'em. They never knew a mother, an' yet they both turned out good. Jack was always the easier o' the two, an' Brendan the shyest."

"Jack's life is turnin' out good. He's got Will, an' I thank the Gods fer the boy. He's got his hands full 'cause Jack does have some hang-ups. But Brendan . . . I haven't the foggiest clue what ta do ta help him. I never expected him ta get hung up with your neice! I don't know if ya heard earlier, but Prue slept with him last night. I didn't mean ta overhear, but I did an' now the boy's gone into hidin'."

"Well, I need to talk with the girls, and perhaps you should see to Brendan?"

"Already tried. Can't find him. I hope to Gods he ain't gone out with the dinosaurs!"

"You can not . . . sniff him out?"

"Well, I sniffed him out ta the point that he went in the kitchen an' I was so upset about everythin' goin' on that I didn't find him. I've got ta get back on the trail, so I guess that'll give you an' the girls a chance ta talk." He reluctantly released her. "I'll be close, 'Ro. All ya have to do is call."

"Logan," she called before he could walk off on her, "there is something else."

"Yes, darlin'?" he asked hopefully.

"Two things actually. For one, I may know some one who either can or knows some one who can help Brendan."

"Ya do? Where is she?"

"It is not a she," Ororo replied with a shake of her head, "but a he." She lifted an inquiring brow. "Have you ever heard of a Professor Charles Xavier?"

"Can't say that I have. Who is he?"

"A very well-known man in many circles, but that is not important. What is important is that he has dedicated his life to helping others with all sorts of powers. I . . . met him once. It was at a time that . . . I did not have my powers . . . He trained me then but told me that, should I ever require his aid again, he would gladly give it."

"Well, little darlin', it'll have ta wait 'til we get off this accursed island. If Jack had only known, he wouldn't've bought it! But he wanted it fer Will. He figured since he got marooned on it so many times, that he'd have a chance ta see Will more often even though he was married ta Elizabeth. What I wanna know is just where the Hell the damn dinosaurs came from! They weren't here when he was here or he wouldn't be here now! Don't make any sense!" He was holding her hand even as they walked back to the house. "If ya wanna go outside fer any reason, 'Ro, let me know an' I'll go with ya."

"On one condition."

"What's that?" he asked.

"You do the same. Neither of us should be out here alone, Logan. I tried to fight those dinosaurs, but they were too swift. If they are too fast for my powers, they may well be too fast for your claws."

"That's true, little darlin'. I promise I won't go anywhere without ya. After all, we are partners." He winked at her. "Guess I better be about huntin' Brendan."

She nodded. "And I the girls. But . . . Do you think we could get the lot of them together?" she asked. "They have a right to know about . . . their extended family."

"Jack's havin' some kind o' a meetin' right after breakfast. Might be a good time ta announce it. Probably knock his feet right out from under him! He never will expect this, not in a million years! First he gets his love, an' then I get mine! Will wonders never cease! Bless the Goddess!"

"Ho," 'Ro agreed with a smile. She leaned down and captured his lips again with her own. "Be careful, sweetheart."

He breathed in her scent one last time and then headed off for the kitchen. He saw Chong in the kitchen even as he walked toward the dining room. "Have ya seen Brendan?" he asked.

"Who's that?" Chong returned.

"He was the guy who was in here a while ago, whippin' up that strange concoction for Angel's lady."

"Ah, yes, I have. He came running in here a moment ago, saying something concerning a Prue."

"Figures. Which way did he go?"

Chong eyed the man for a moment, then stepped over and opened a cabinet. He let himself out of the kitchen.

"Brendan, what are ya doin' under there?" Logan asked him. "Come outta there!"

Brendan peered nervously around the room. "Where is she?" he whispered.

"With her Aunt 'Ro! She's not after you! I thought ya two were gettin' along. What happened?"

Brendan sighed and would not meet his eyes. "When I woke up this morning, I . . . She was with me, Wolverine!"

"Congratulations!" Logan told him. "She's one heck of a woman! Lucky you!"

"Lucky me?" Brendan repeated in disbelief. "Lucky Me!" His voice rose in anger as yellowed eyes turned to flash up at Logan.

"Don't go wolfing out on me, boy, or I'll call Jack with the cane! What is yer problem!"

"Why do you even ask! Can't you see? Wolverine, you know I can not control the wolf! She's lucky to be alive now, especially after . . . after . . . after she slept with me!"

"Wasn't there somethin' about she had ta sleep with the wolf before ya would get yer powers under control? Well, if she slept with ya, can ya control yer powers now? Ya didn't eat her. She's alive and healthy; I just saw her."

"I know I did not eat her, and yes that is Wolf's ridiculous claim! But I do not even remember last night, and I would never have consented to allow her to . . . to endanger herself like that!"

"Brendan, ya sleep like the dead! If ya didn't do it to her, then what happened! Maybe ya just slept with her? Ya know, like side by side, not sexually?"

"That's what I had began to hope," he admitted, still making no move to come out of the cabinet, "but that is certainly not what she implied to her sisters!"

"Girls tell each other tales, 'specially when they want somethin' as bad as Prue does. If she had the opportunity ta talk about it, she'd probably make out like ya two are already doin' it. Ya don't know much about women, Brendan. All ya know o' women are the whores yer've been around all yer life, includin' the bitch who messed ya up. Prue's a lady. I don't believe she'd take it away from ya. She wants ya to give it ta her freely an' because ya love her. Ya need ta go talk ta her but not now 'cause 'Ro's talkin' ta her."

Brendan sighed. Could Wolverine be right? He loved the man like a father, but that did not mean that he knew everything. Still, he needed to know and there was only one way to find out for certain. "But I can not even be trusted to be around her, let alone alone with her!"

"I can stay within shoutin' distance, Brendan, but this is really somethin' ya two should talk about in private."

At last, Brendan rolled out from the cabinets, but he remained sitting on the floor a moment, his head in his hands. Finally, he looked back up at Wolverine with the confused and scared look of a boy nowhere near his age. "So you really don't think she . . . ?"

"There're two things I know about women that ya can always count on. A lady wants a gentleman ta court her. Even if she's guaranteed that she's gonna get him in the end, she never takes the upperhand unless yer in the bedroom together, both parties willingly. But a whore takes every chance she can. Which do you think Prue is?"

"A lady."

"Then I rest my case, son. Go look yer lady up an' talk to her. 'Ro should be done talkin' to the girls by now. I'll be close."

Brendan's eyes turned toward where he knew the stairs lay. "It could wait 'til after breakfast."

"Okay. After breakfast but no later. Ya know what today is, an' ya know how ya get as the day goes on."

Brendan nodded and finally got to his feet.

"Go clean yerself up an' get ready fer breakfast. Knock on yer brother's door an' let him know everybody's waitin' on him."

Brendan nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"Let me know when yer ready ta talk ta Prue."

"I will." He left the room and headed first for Jack's. It was only when he knocked on his door that he realized that he had nowhere to go after telling Jack for Cole and Piper had taken over his room.

Jack had finished cleaning up and wrapped a towel around himself as he walked to the door. He opened it to find Brendan standing there with a lost look on his face. "Come on in, Brendan. What brings you?"

"Wolverine told me to tell you that everybody's waiting on you," Brendan informed Jack, "but I guess they're going to be waiting on me now."

"Why will they be waiting on you? I have a good excuse; I have to get dressed. You look like you're already ready."

"I need to wash up," he explained, "especially after the places I've been this morning."

"No problem. Will's in there. Knock on the door. Let him know it's you. I'll get us some clothes."

Brendan nodded as he made his way toward the bathroom. "Thanks, Jack." He wondered why he had not asked him why he couldn't wash up in his own room but did not volunteer the information.

Jack had already been puzzling out where he could stick Brendan so he could be by himself. He knew that the rooms were already taken and that Prue was in a room by herself now that she once shared with Piper but that Piper would not be returning to it as she was now with Cole. He wasn't sure if there were any other available rooms downstairs, but he knew all the ones upstairs were taken.

He opened the clothes closet. There was a gigantic hole in the back of the closet. Just what in the Hell had made it! Jack wondered. He looked for claw marks but didn't see any. He looked down the darkened hole and listened but didn't hear anything. Carl, he thought, up to his usual! Had he been in the room with him while he and Will were doing it and they had not known that he was there! Jack would talk to him right after Crys' talk.

He picked out three outfits. Brendan and Will were about the same size, but Jack was shorter. When he put his pants on, he had to put cuffs on his pants.

To Be Continued . . .