Chapter Thirty-five

When the grown-ups had left, Julian had been left in charge of himself and Sarah. They had finally grown tired of drawing pictures and began to look for other entertainment. They looked for Katrina but couldn't find her. Then they began to look for Carl as he had also played games with them before.

Julian had the bright idea to look in the closets, because he knew Carl loved to tunnel and could think of nowhere else for him to tunnel in the house. He returned to the living room and opened up the only closet that was in the room. Sure enough, there was a tunnel. He looked at Sarah. "I think Carl might be in there, but you have to be very, very quiet," he said unnecessarily as Sarah never said anything much. She nodded.

Julian did not want to go into the dark, so he looked around for a candle. Finding one, he carried it very carefully to the tunnel and began to crawl slowly forward, hoping they would not have to go too deep before they found Carl. He could feel air up ahead and slowed down even more.

Sarah crawled right behind her brother, so close that she could reach out and touch him, even though the space was large enough that she could have crawled right beside him. They had been passing turns along the way and glancing down each until finally they came to where Carl lay tied up in the floor down another turn.

Carl's eyes were as big as saucers and shot wider when he saw the children. Just ahead of where Carl lay Julian saw some creatures he recognized as belonging to one of the women. What were they doing here? he wondered even as he crawled to Carl and began to untie him.

Sarah held the candle and stayed a little ways away so that she was not in Julian's way and the Goblins wouldn't catch sight of the flickering candlelight. Julian was having a hard time getting the knots loose. Carl wanted to cry out to him to leave him but knew that a single sound would draw the Goblins' attentions. Julian finally reached up and pulled the gag out of Carl's mouth. He was very careful not to make any sounds.

Finally, the last knot came out of the ropes, and Carl was able to wriggle himself free. He motioned back toward the tunnel with a finger, making Julian go forward first. Julian hastened to go as fast as he could. This time, Sarah crawled beside him. They could feel Carl at their feet at first but then nothing. Julian did not stop crawling. He had to get out. He was afraid the Goblins had got Carl again but knew he could get help if he got out.

Carl had turned to look back at the same time one of the Goblins noticed that he was loose. He braced himself in a defensive position, waiting for the first attack. This time, he wouldn't let them win. Not only did he not want to be tied back up by the foul creatures, but the children were now depending on him and he would not let them down.


As Clark tumbled into the bed just before Lex, his mischievous streak took control. He turned to meet Lex as he jumped into the bed beside him, and before Lex could have even the first clue as to what had jumped into his lover's mind, Clark had sprang, tickling his lover in the places only he knew about.

Soon, Clark had Lex laughing so hard that tears were in his eyes. Though his beloved desperately tried to catch his hands, Clark was too fast for him. It was then that Lex began tickling Clark. With Clark's mind split between defending himself and tickling Lex, Lex was able to finally catch Clark's hands. Lex brought Clark to rest before him, his arms wrapped around him and his back against the headboard of the bed.


Kitty had again resumed the leadership position with Lockheed wrapped around her shoulders and Logan walking beside her when something rustled in the bushes to one side of the path ahead. She stopped, holding up a hand to signal the others to do so which left Joxer to bump into Kurt, even as something in the bushes whinnied.

Kurt bamfed to the front of the group to stand beside Kitty. "Vhat do you think it is?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure," Kitty whispered back to him. Taking a step further toward the bushes, she called out, "Hello? Do you need help?" Lockheed sniffed the air and then shook his head; this thing didn't smell like a centaur.

Elizabeth's eyes darted nervously to Kitty. If it was a horse, why was she trying to talk to it?

"I shall go and see," Kurt told her. "Keep the group here. I can get away faster if need be." He bamfed into the bushes which shook vigorously and then grew very still.

Kurt had expected to find one of the centaurs caught in a trap of some kind, but he was totally taken aback when he realized what he was looking at. "Mein Gott," he exclaimed, "but you're beautiful!"

"Don't be afraid, little one," he tried to reassure the creature who was bucking even more now. He slipped his hood back from his face. "See. You can see I'm nothing beautiful, but I vill not cause you harm." He held his three-fingered hand outstretched toward the panicked animal, his heart scarcely beating. Kitty and he had found many beautiful, wild, and strange things on the island since they had been there, but he had never even guessed that there might be such as he -- a unicorn!

The unicorn calmed and sniffed at Kurt's hand, and Kurt dared to reach out and touch him, still talking in a soothing, calming voice. "Don't be feared, little one. I vill get you free. We have friends," he told the animal. "I need to tell them what is going on."

He called back to Kitty, "DO NOT COME CLOSER, LIEBCHIEN! YOU VILL NOT BELIEVE VHAT IS HERE! I VILL SEE VHEN I FREE HIM IF I CAN BRING HIM TO YOU, BUT IF YOU COME NOW, YOU VILL SCARE HIM!"

He knelt beside the unicorn and studied the trap. He could not figure out the spring mechanism at first but then finally spotted the pin. "Do not move," he told the unicorn. "This may hurt." With his fingernail, he flicked the pin, and it shot skyward. He did not know where it landed but knew it could not harm anything unless it was attached to the trap. The trap quickly let go of the hoof and almost hit Kurt as it sprang backward.

"How did you get in such a thing in the first place?" Kurt asked as though the animal could answer him. "Can you valk?" The unicorn nodded its head and took a step forward only to almost fall on the leg.

"I vill help you valk," Kurt told him. "Ve vill need to get medicine to fix your leg, but you must trust me. I vill take you to my friends. They vill not hurt you. Do you understand me?" Kurt asked, looking into the animal's eyes.

He was rewarded with a small nod. The unicorn could understand any language, but he could not speak to where they could understand him. He had lived a long time on this island. For most of that time, there had been no humans, but as of late, there seemed to be more and more. The man standing before him now had been the most interesting of the lot, and he had been able to get close to him only because he was a virgin. The unicorn studied the man as the man studied the unicorn.

Kurt laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do not fear, my friend. Some one vill be able to help your foot." He began to walk slowly forward to where he had left his group, the unicorn limping along.

Kitty was surprised to see that Kurt had let his hood off and was about to warn him when she saw the being limping beside him. Her breath took in sharply as her startled eyes gazed upon the beautiful unicorn. It was the loveliest creature she'd ever seen!

Joxer's mouth fell open as did Autolycus', because although both had been on journeys through Greece and the surrounding areas and had encountered many strange creatures, neither of them had ever seen an unicorn. In fact, they believed that they didn't exist but were only myth. Now, when the proof was staring them in the face, they could scarcely believe it.

Joxer walked slowly toward the unicorn with his palm outstretched and one of the precious berries on it. He did not know how long the unicorn had been caught in the trap but figured he might be hungry. The unicorn eyed this even stranger male and swished his tail, waiting to see what he was offering. Once Joxer's hand was almost under his nose, the unicorn lowered his head and gently lipped the berry off of Joxer's hand, making eye contact with him the whole time.

Autolycus headed that way, not to be outdone by Joxer, but found Gabrielle's hand firmly on his chest. The blonde shook her head at his questioning look. "You're not a virgin," she whispered.

"How do you know that," he whispered back to her, "and what does that have to do with it?"

Gabrielle quirked a brow at his first question. "Please . . . " she started but was interrupted by Kitty's quiet yet firm voice.

"They will only let virgins approach them," the brunette whispered back to the two though her brown eyes never moved from the unicorn.

Wolverine's eyes were stuck on Kurt. Was this the man that Kitty was having fits over! Damn, he was a Demon! Not that he had anything against Demons. Cole was a Demon, and so was Lorne. However, when it came to his daughter looking at one, that was a different story! Could it be a spell? Could the good Father have woven a spell on his darling daughter to make her leave her good senses behind? He'd have to check on that later or, at least, get one of the Sorceresses to check it out.

He stared at the unicorn and thought it was the most beautiful animal he'd ever seen. He shook his head. This island was full of marvels and unbelievable discoveries. He tried to memorize each detail he saw of the unicorn so that he could tell Jack and Ororo, knowing that they would probably think he had taken leave of his senses.

Elizabeth stared at Kurt. Not only was he blue, but he had pointed ears and a pointed tail and was covered in fur! She knew he was good because he was a Priest and had heard Jack make mention of him before he'd ever laid eyes on him. Did Jack know he was a Demon? She meant to take that up with him when she got back.

She almost missed hearing the virgin part about the unicorn, but when she caught the words from Kitty, she turned her full attention upon the unicorn. If some one else had told her that they had seen an unicorn, she would have thought they were insane, but yet here stood the animal before them and she could not deny her own eyes! She stepped forward before realizing she didn't have anything to offer the unicorn and paused beside Gabrielle.

Kitty managed to shake off her shock at last and called to Kurt, "What's wrong with him?"

"His foot vas caught in some kind of a trap I have not seen before. I don't know vho set it. I sniffed but could pick up no familiar scent. He's cut pretty badly."

Kurt's words had Gabrielle looking into her bag in an instant. Soon, she found her intended herb. She was just beginning to wonder who could take it to them when she saw Elizabeth standing beside her, frozen in step with her eyes locked on the unicorn. Was the girl a virgin? There was only one way to know for sure. "Elizabeth," Gabrielle whispered to her, "are you . . . ?" She gave the other woman a chance to see if she could make out her intentions.

"Of course I am!" she whispered back to Gabrielle. "Will never could bring himself to try it, and he's the only man I've ever looked at ever since I was a child!"

Gabrielle nodded and held the herb out to her. "Take this to them. It needs to be rubbed across his hoof and especially into the cut."

Elizabeth nodded. She now had a very important reason to go to the unicorn. She walked before the unicorn and stood still, allowing him a chance to smell her. "I have brought something to put on your hoof," she told him and showed it to him.

The unicorn took a big sniff of her and then of the herb. He raised his injured hoof and stood very still. With shaking hands, Elizabeth pulled several of the leaves apart from the others and began to rub it gently over the hoof. She ground some of the leaf between her fingers and let it drop into the cut. She wished she could do more, but she had no medical training. She stepped slowly back away from the unicorn. "I hope that makes it better." She reached up and stroked the side of the unicorn's face.

Joxer had not moved from his place but stood as though he was mesmerized by the unicorn.

Kurt stroked the unicorn again. "You're free to go or you can come vith us, if you vish." He stepped away from the unicorn for he had figured out that the unicorn was as mesmerized by them as they were by him. He did not know what the unicorn would choose to do, but he knew that the unicorn would have to make that choice on his own. He would not hold him back, but he would be there for him if he should choose to reappear or come with them.

Elizabeth stroked the unicorn's face one last time and stepped away, pulling Joxer with her as he showed no signs of moving. "I touched a unicorn!" Joxer breathed reverently. He still could not believe it! He gave the unicorn one last berry and followed Elizabeth back into the group.

The unicorn looked at all three one last time and then seemed to melt from their vision as he quickly disappeared.


Silence had ensued after Clark's and Lex's laughter had finally subsided, and it was Clark who eventually broke that peaceful quiet. "You know I love you, right, Lex?"

Lex brushed Clark's dark hair back away from his forehead and pressed a gentle kiss to his temple. "You know I do. Why?"

"Well, I . . . I don't know what caused me to go after that merman."

"Neither do I," Lex agreed, "but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're safe, we're together, and . . . " He brushed his lips across Clark's hair. " . . . I love you too."

Clark sighed and, in a hushed whisper that he thought Lex wouldn't hear, admitted, "I'm very lucky."

"No, you're not," Lex disagreed with a smile, thinking Clark was simply beginning their usual game. "I'm the lucky one."

"No," Clark argued, "I am."

Lex frowned. There was something different in his lover's voice. "Clark, what's bothering you?" When Clark did not answer him, Lex shifted his position around him and, with a gentle hand, turned Clark's face to look at him. "What is it, love?" he persisted.

Clark sighed and dropped his eyes from Lex's in shame. "I've always wondered what I did to deserve your love," he told him, "but now . . . I . . . Lex . . . How am I supposed to deserve your love when I . . . when I don't even know what I am?"

Lex was not surprised by Clark's words. He'd known yesterday's revelations were bothering his beloved and had simply waited for Clark to be ready to talk about it. "Clark," he spoke, gently caressing the side of his lovely face, "love isn't something that has to be deserved or not. It's something that's given freely between two hearts. You taught me that."

"As for what you are . . . I don't know how you got those powers, but I do know what you are. You are a strong, courageous, sweet, and noble man with a keen sense of humor and an even sharper intellect . . . a man who I love dearly with every fiber of my being."

"But what am I, Lex?" Clark couldn't help insisting fearfully though Lex's words had brought a sad smile to his face. "Where did I get these powers, and what do I do with them?"

"I don't know where you got them, Clark, but you do with them what you already have been. You've saved me not once but twice now through using your powers. Who's to say we would have even made it through the wreck without your strength to protect us? Clark, I don't know what gives you those powers, and to be honest, I don't care. They don't make any difference about who you are. They only enable you to do more."

"I'd still like to know how I got them."

"We could try asking your parents the next time you visit them."

"Yeah . . . " Clark's voice trailed off as a doubtful look fell over his face.

"What?"

"I . . . Lex, the next time I go to see my parents, I want you to come with me, and I want to bring the kids. I don't want to hide our relationship any longer. I want them to know that you're more than just my best friend and that you're the man I love."

Clark's words brought a smile to Lex's lips and a shine to his blue eyes. He'd prayed for the day to come when Clark would be so proud of their relationship that he would finally admit the truth to his parents, but even know he could not help trying to protect his dear boy. "Clark, you know they're not going to take well to us . . . "

Clark tried to shrug the thought off. "It's up to them, Lex. If they truly love me, they'll understand. They'll be glad I've found some one who loves me as much as you do and who I love, and they won't care that you're not a girl. If they don't . . . Then they never really loved me to begin with, so I don't need their . . . their pretend love," he said for lack of a better term.

Lex smiled. He brushed a hand through Clark's hair, enjoying the moment in quiet as he gazed into his beloved's baby blues. Then, leaning closer, he growled playfully against Clark's lips. "I wonder what Mrs. Kent will have to say about my bad influence on her boy." He then pressed his lips to Clark's.

As their kiss grew steadily, their tongues began to dance, quarreling with each other as they slipped in and out of one another's mouths. Their hands began to roam each other's bodies in touches, caresses, and teases. Clark reached underneath him to begin rubbing Lex's sword, and Lex's chest pressed into Clark's back as his hands caught gentle hold of Clark's sword.

Their kisses were broken by moans of delight as they pleasured each other. Their fingers stroked each other's hardening swords as their hands gently squeezed. Clark's mouth completely left Lex's as he turned and began a trail of kisses down Lex's neck. His hands continued massaging Lex's sword as his mouth suckled his neck.

As Clark pleasured Lex so, bringing moans from him that caressed Clark's ears, Lex continued to stroke Clark's sword. His hand wrapped gently around it, his fingers squeezing slightly as his thumb brushed across its tip. His other hand reached down to massage first one testicle and then the next.

Soon, Lex knew Clark was ready, and he drew him back toward his lap. Clark relinquished Lex's neck to breathe his name, and Lex turned to take his lover's mouth with his own. As the two began to kiss again, Lex brought Clark down to his lap, his sword shooting to his home within Clark as he did so.


James had listened to what the Sorceresses' plan was and had not seen one thing to object to. "I will go and get the boi, but I will not tell him what's going on. I will leave it up to you to deal with the situation."

Delvira nodded. "You may wish to bring Connor, as well," she told him gently. "It would help to have his whole family here."

James looked at Samuel. "Go and get Connor while I'm getting Frederic. You may tell him what we are about to pull. We need him here. He's about the only one who can truly handle Frederic when he gets completely out of control." They both left, going in opposite directions.

James headed to Frederic's room for he knew the boi was in there. He knocked on the door. "Frederic, I have come to get you to go to a meeting. Some one at last wants to listen to your duty."

Frederic jumped to his feet. "They do! Wonderful!"

When James had unlocked the door and opened it, Frederic was standing there with a grin on his face and his hand on his sword, ready for action. "See, I told you others would listen! You just had to ask!"

"Well, these are ladies," James told him, "and I expect you to show reverence to them. You are to go in there, behave yourself, and tell them of your duty." James hated lying to the boi, but he knew that between that door and the one he'd just come out of, Frederic would have himself puffed up like a banty rooster and they could see him in his full glory.


The previous night had brought not just one ride but many for Jack and Will. Thus they had grown to be much more comfortable with each other in the bed, but still Jack did not want to push Will. Since leaving the bathtub, they had been laying in their bed, facing each other but not speaking. Jack was perched on his elbow and had been watching Will from his head's resting place on his hand. Now he reached out to him, caressing his face and cupping his chin before finally speaking. "Something's bothering you, love. Want to tell me what it is?"

"Jack, this . . . all of this . . . It's so new . . . " he shook his head, " . . . and crazy . . . If I told anybody about any of the things that's been happening since we left Port Royal, they'd think I was insane!"

Jack nodded. "It does take a lot of getting used to," he admitted. "I still didn't think mermaids existed . . . until today."

That brought a small smile to Will's lips. "So you're still learning too?"

"Of course I am," Jack replied, not ashamed to admit the fact to his beloved. "Will, there are things out there that men like us can only guess at until we actually meet 'em face to face."

"So when you first met Brendan . . . ?"

"I . . . didn't really believe he was until the first full moon. Then I saw it for myself. You can't deny what your own eyes tell you to be true, darling."

Will nodded in thought. "Does it ever stop . . . seeming so wild and crazy a life?"

Jack grinned, his gold tooth flashing in the light the fire cast over their bedroom. "Not really, but that's exactly why I like something Faith said a long time ago."

"What's that?" Will wondered aloud.

"That you have to be insane to survive in an insane world. In my life, there have been times when I'd thought I'd seen it all, Will, but every time that happens . . . I see something else or find out that something else is real that blows me away."

"So it never stops?"

Jack shook his head. "Never."

Will sighed. "Well, I guess I can handle it . . . " He leaned closer to Jack until his mouth was inches away from meeting with his beloved's. " . . . as long as I have you by my side."

Jack had barely began to grin when Will's lips touched his. The effect was far better than anything rum had ever granted him and shot home immediately. Jack returned Will's kiss, his arms reaching out and drawing his beloved closer.

As Jack deepened their kiss, he felt Will's tongue shyly requesting permission. His mouth parted, and his tongue met Will's. Their tongues danced together as their kiss deepened even more. As their passion grew so did the boldness of their bodies. Their bodies drew closer together still until they could feel every inch of each other. Jack's hands continued caressing Will's muscles as Will's hands moved from rubbing his chest to stroking his back. Their hardening swords had already been laying side by side, but now they began to rub against each other. As their passionate kiss grew, their swords rubbed harder and faster.


It did not take Smee long to figure out where Connor would be hiding himself. He seemed attached to the new girl who had rescued him and to the cubs they had saved. Smee went to her room, knocked on the door, and waited for an answer.

Connor answered the door and was surprised to see Samuel standing there. "Something's wrong?" was the first thought he had. He hoped it was not.

Smee scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the boy through his spectacles. "You're needed for a . . . meeting, Connor. Some one's . . . finally going to help Frederic with his duty."

"Thank the Gods! They don't know how hard that's going to be. We've tried everything, Smee. I hope that they can do it."

"Me too," Smee agreed, "but they should be able to. These are Sorceresses, Connor, and Frederic . . . " He knew some one had to tell the boy at last, and so he tried to explain, "Frederic's duty isn't natural. He hasn't always been like this. It was something . . . something that Pan had done to him."

"I know it's not natural, but I thought he was always like that. At least, as long as I've known him, he's been that way." He turned to look back in at Zora. "Zora, I've got to go to a meeting about my brother. Don't know how long I'll be gone."

Zora was on her feet in an instant. "Do you need help?" She didn't know the details of the situation but knew that Connor's brother was a painful subject.

"I may later. Dad's found somebody to work on Frederic's duty. Perhaps to make it disappear forever. That would be wonderful! Just think good thoughts while I'm gone. As soon as we're done, I'll come back and let you know I'm out."

"If you need me," Zora reminded him, "call."

"If I knew what I was going into and my Father didn't mind, I'd take you with me," he admitted. "Maybe you could come and be just outside the door? I'd know you were there, and that would help a lot."

Zora nodded and was in the process of walking over to him when she remembered the four cubs playing on the floor. She looked back to them to find that it was only three cubs now and that Tom was looking at her. "I'll watch over them," he promised her. She nodded and left with Connor.


Faith lay with Dawson in her arms. His head rested just above hers, but she didn't mind listening to his soft snores. He had stopped shaking now, his color had returned, and she knew he would be okay when he awoke . . . yet still she was worried. Even Aphrodite's hearts had not been enough to stop her fears for long, and she was still wondering if she was doing the right thing.

She wanted to be with Dawson. She didn't want anything bad happening to the boy and wanted to be there to protect him, but there was more to it too. He invoked feelings in her that she'd never thought she was capable of having. He made her long to be able to be freer with her heart, but at the same time her mind warned her against it.

He was only a kid. He didn't really love her. He thought he did, but how long would that last? Until the next adventure came along and he had another reason to forget about her? Until the next woman came along and offered him a new taste of pleasure that had previously been forbidden to him? She was merely his first. That was the only reason why he thought he loved her.

She'd be damned if she'd let herself be hurt again, but she did not seem to be able to pull herself away from him. Every time she thought she'd make herself forget him, the exact opposite happened and she found herself back in his arms. She sighed, her breath of air rustling his blonde hair. It should be easy to hate him, to dismiss him, but it wasn't.

The door opening brought Faith out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see Salem coming into the room. Donkey poked his head through the door, grinned at her, backed out, and quietly shut the door, using his teeth again. Salem padded over to the bed, jumped up onto it, and turned to face her. He saw the sadness and confusion in her dark eyes, emotions that he knew she'd hate herself for betraying if she knew she had.

"Faith," he whispered, "how is he?"

"He'll be okay," she returned in a whisper so quiet that Dawson would not have been able to hear her even if he'd been awake. Salem's cat ears caught her words fine, however.

"But you're not," he observed in a gentle, reassuring purr. When Faith's mouth started to fly open, he quickly reminded her, "You don't want to wake him. Faith, you've accepted me and the others as part of your family. We all want to be here for you, but we can't if you won't let us be or tell us what's going on."

"Salem . . . " She sighed and looked away. "I . . . I just don't know what the Hell I'm doing any more."

"How many of us do you really think do?"

"It's not that," she admitted with a half-smirk, half-grin. "It's . . . I don't want Dawson to only be a fuck buddy," she told him, "but I don't dare to love him either."

"Then how do you feel about him?"

"I . . . don't know. I'd . . . I think I'd like to let myself feel stronger about him, but . . . "

"You're scared."

Her eyes cut up at him. "I'm not scared of anything!" she hissed in denial.

He grinned, and his nose and tail tip twitched. "You're scared," he repeated. "Faith . . . It's a hard thing to be as brave in the face of danger as we are, but it's even harder to let yourself love somebody. That's the hardest thing in the world -- to let another person in fully --, but it can also be the most rewarding thing in the world."

"How would you know?"

"Because I once had some one I loved," he told her. "She was going to rule beside me when we took over the world, but I . . . I lost her."

"What happened? Did she die?"

"I don't know," Salem answered with a sad, shameful shake of his head. "I had been with her when the Council broke into us, but in the chaos, I . . . I lost her. I don't know what happened to her, and I've never seen her since. If anybody else asked me what I would do if I had a second chance, I . . . I'd tell 'em that I simply wouldn't get caught again, but in truth . . . I'd go back to her, Faith, and I'd leave that all behind or, at least, I hope I would. I regret not conquering the world, but what I regret most of all is losing her."

Faith's eyes turned to look sadly up at Dawson. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she already knew she didn't want to lose him.

"You've got a chance here, Faith," Salem told her. "A chance in a lifetime. But you've got to decide, and it's a decision only you can make."

"What's that?" she whispered back to him.

"What do you fear more?" Salem asked her. "Being hurt by Dawson or never feeling that most powerful of things, true love -- real, true love? The kind you see in plays. The kind you read about in books. The kind your friends and family have -- Tom and Katrina, Lex and Clark, even Jack and Will now."

"I . . . I don't know," Faith admitted, biting back the tears that rose in her throat.

Salem placed a reassuring paw on her hand. "I know you don't," he told her, "but you have to decide. Think about it." He withdrew his paw, jumped down from the bed, walked back over to the door, and scratched at it gently. Donkey opened the door, but Salem paused to look back at Faith. "Faith, if you need me," he called to her, "I'm here." He then walked out.

Donkey shut the door behind Salem, leaving Faith practically alone in the room for Dawson still slept. Her mind turned back to Salem's words, and, with tears in her eyes, she began to contemplate them. What did she fear the most -- giving Dawson the chance to hurt her or never getting to live every little girl's dream, of getting a man to love her? Was it even possible? Did she dare attempt to find out? Faith thought and thought some more still.


Shortly after Hook and Smee had left the room, Celina's concerned blue eyes had turned to Delvira. "Delvira," she asked her, "where has Jareth gone?"

"To do his duty."

Katrina asked, "When do you expect him back, Delvira?"

Delvira's black eyes turned down to the mattress she set upon, and Ororo reached out to place a comforting hand over her pale one. The two had talked about him earlier that morning while waiting for the catwomen to finish with their third meeting. "He should have already been back," 'Ro told them in a soft voice.

"What could be holding him?" Katrina wondered. "Maybe we could do a locating spell after we finish with the boy?"

Delvira shook her head. "There's something blocking this island. That could be the reason why Jareth hasn't been able to return. I tried to teleport to him, but the island will not allow any one to teleport out of it. The block probably prevents any one from reaching out or in, as well."

"There has to be something we can do to help," Katrina told her. "We will look into it as soon as we are through with the boy." She reached out and gently squeezed Delvira's free hand. "We'll find him for you," she tried to reassure her. No wonder the poor woman was so upset! Katrina could imagine how she'd feel if Tom was lost out there somewhere.

Delvira nodded, but Celina could feel her emotions and knew that she was only letting them think that they were reassuring her for she fully believed that nothing could be done until they got off the island. Delvira was saved from having to say anything, however, as the door opened at that time.

Frederic strode in with a grin on his face. He smiled at each of the ladies in turn. "I am so happy that you will listen to me! I have been trying desperately to get some one to help! We have to kill the Pirates -- the whole, filthy lot of them! The sooner, the better!"

James shook his head and took a seat. If the ladies could do anything to help his poor boi, he'd be thankful if they'd just get him to quit saying, "Kill the Pirates!" Sometimes he felt as if he'd strangle the boi if he uttered those words one more time. He heard the door open and looked up to see Smee entering with Connor. They eased into seats next to his and waited.

Delvira and Ororo remained calm at Frederic's words, but had any one been looking at Celina and Katrina, they would have seen a shift in their fur. Still not speaking, the women got off of the bed, each moving around Frederic. Delvira smiled to him. "Frederic, would you take the seat of honor so that you can tell us more about how you plan to kill the Pirates?"

"With your help, it will be easy! We can poison their food. It would be the quickest way, but I want the Captains all to myself! They deserve to die a more horrible death! I will engage them in mortal combat even as you take out any who escape the poison! They will die at my blade, and I shall kick their bodies off into the ocean which will swallow them and no one will ever hear of them again!" His eyes blazed at the gloriest thought.

James had buried his eyes in his hand. He was not watching. He couldn't watch, not and keep his mouth closed. Gods, my poor boi is sick! he thought. Please let them be able to heal him!

Celina could tell that the others were fighting just as hard to reel in their instincts as she was. After all, both their beloveds and their families were Pirates! This was not going to go well, she realized with a shake of her head and then reached out to James' mind. She spoke within his brain, James, you can see for yourself that Frederic will not go calmly. With your permission . . . we will do what must be done.

Do your best, madam, and thank you for your efforts, James thought back to her. He was not used to people talking in his head but rather liked the idea. Do you need me to do anything?

Delvira will tell you when and where. Then, in a quiet voice, Celina told Delvira, "He has agreed." Her tail swished.

Delvira nodded to Ororo, and in the very next instant, Frederic found himself lifted by the wind and put on the bed. The wind held him in place as the others rushed to the ropes.

Frederic realized, as the wind held him in place, that somebody had lied. He looked angrily toward his father, knowing that he had given permission for this. "How dare you!" he called at him. "You know I have to kill them! You're stopping me from being able to do my duty! A curse upon you!"

James answered him, "I've been cursed enough with you, boi. I wash my hands of you!" He stared straight at him. "Whatever these women want to do to you, I wish them more power! We have treated you with love and kindness and have been repaid with your duty. You have even tried to kill your brother and me in the past! Now lay there, get your duty, and keep your mouth shut!"

"I will not! I will get up from here!" Frederic declared. "I will fight you!"

James shook his head but did not get to his feet. He simply waited for the ladies to do their magic, watching Frederic strain desperately at the wind and being unable to get up as the ladies tied him to the bed.

With each rope in place, Delvira reached out and, just as Frederic's mouth flew open to protest again, stuffed a silk scarf into his mouth. "Celina, Katrina, prepare yourselves. Ororo, hand the men their copies and take the West." She walked herself to the South part of the bed.

Even as Ororo walked over to hand copies of the spells to James; Smee, who had his arms wrapped reassuringly around his beloved; and Connor, Delvira explained, "Katrina and Celina will have to go into his mind. For that reason, we will need you three to stand in the other places for the directions. Simply be in your place, read the words on the papers, and concentrate on freeing Frederic of the curse that was placed on him."

James looked at his paper. It said Spirit. "I'm the Spirit," he told Delvira. "Where should I stand?"

She gestured to a place along the middle of the bed. "The Spirit is in the center," she told him. "This is the nearest you can be to that."

He left his hat sitting on his chair and his sword in the seat and took his place beside the bed.

"Connor," Delvira called to the others, "take the North, and Smee, the East." Her long, black fingernails pointed to each direction around the bed.

Connor went to the head of the bed and took up his position, looking down at his brother's face where the beautiful smile had disappeared and now was a grimace. His eyes pleaded with Connor's to free him. Connor had to look away. Even though his brother was crazy, he loved him and hoped that this worked.

Smee had to stop himself from shaking as he went to the direction Delvira patiently pointed at. He stood, wringing his cap in one hand while the other held the paper and shook.

Delvira took her athame in her right hand and began in the East, turning slowly, holding it out level, and moving clockwise. She drew the magical boundary that would protect them and began to chant . . .

To Be Continued . . .