Chapter Twenty-nine

The Kitchen/Jack & Will's Bedroom

"Thanks, Rubeus," Cole told the helpful Giant. "We're all going on quests. It'll be quiet for a while. If you need help in the kitchen, get Chong to help you."

"Is he the one that's makin' all the noise upstairs?"

Cole listened. Everything going on had taken his mind off of the noises, and his ears had become accustomed to the sounds. "Oh, yeah; he was one of them! Bellow his name, and he'll come."

"I hope he doesn't continue with that all day."

"Put him to work." He shimmered back to the waiting group. "Everybody ready? Let's go!"

The words were barely out of Cole's mouth before Eddie leapt. He had been pacing back and forth, trying with absolutely no success whatsoever to have patience for the man to get back with the supplies they'd need. He had waited only out of knowing that he could not take down Frostbite alone and would need help. He still could not believe that Will had abandoned him. Prue, Phoebe, and Cole quickly followed suit.

Joxer looked at the mirror as though it was the most enormous monster he had ever seen. He was paler than a sheet and shaking so much that his knees knocked together. Slowly, he stepped over to the bed and picked up a sword. His eyes seemed about to bug out of his head. "Joxer, I don't think you should go," Clark spoke softly as he moved up behind the smaller man.

"I-I-I-I-I-I've g-g-g-g-g-go-go-go-gotta go!" Joxer barely managed to squeak out. "M-m-m-m-m-my Ph-Ph-Ph-Phoebe left! Xena and Gabby left me, too! I can fight! I'm going where Phoebe's going!"

Clark was no longer there, however, for he had flown through the mirror with a whispered command that Phillip should change the scene as soon as he had passed through. Joxer looked around when Clark didn't answer him. "Where'd he go?"

"Through the mirror," Autolycus told him. "Hey!" he yelled at Phillip. "I was just about to go in there myself!" He was secretly relieved that Phillip had changed the picture. He knew that Joxer and himself were no match for the Demon. He would have liked to have gone through with Elizabeth but had been unable to as only three were allowed and that picture had changed so fast that he had not had time to react. He didn't dare ask the question who else needed help.

The North Pole

Frostbite's scream of rage filled Crystal's ears, but she dared not allow herself any hope. She filled him with bullets, shooting each time she drew nearer to the area she sought, but then a cold heaviness filled her legs and she dropped. The pistol turned to ice and shattered in her hand as she fell. She dropped like a wounded bird and slammed into the snow-covered ground below.

As she lay on the ground, trying to work her legs and failing to get them to respond to her, she was again able to make out her uncle's voice. He was no longer screaming or roaring with pain. He was no longer throwing insults and cuss words at her. He was laughing again, and the sound chilled her.

You can't kill him. You already knew that, she thought sadly. You tried. You gave it a good try. Time for plan . . . She smirked tiredly. It certainly wasn't plan B. Hell, she'd ran out of the alphabet before she'd ever left the North Pole the first time. She looked up at Frostbite and tried to focus her gaze on him as she felt the ice moving up her body. "YOU WIN!"

Frostbite stopped. He paused and looked down at her. "WHAT WAS THAT, MY LITTLE POPSICLE?" his booming voice returned.

"I SAID YOU WIN! I'M DONE FIGHTING A BATTLE I CAN'T WIN! I'LL JOIN YOU! I GIVE MY POWERS, MY LIFE, MY BLOOD TO YOU WILLINGLY!"

He stared down at her, at first too shocked to speak. Then he laughed again. "YOU LIE, BUT I AM NO IDIOT! I KNOW BETTER! YOU ONLY WISH TO DISTRACT ME!"

"NO! I SPEAK THE TRUTH!"

"WHAT OF YOUR BABIES, YOUR PRECIOUS, LITTLE ANIMALS? WOULD YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE IN THIS WORLD FOR ME TO DO WHAT I WILL TO THEM?"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU DO TO THOSE FILTHY BEASTS!" She prayed he didn't see the betraying tears that stung her eyes. They're not alone, you monster, and besides you'll never leave them be as long as I live and you want me!

"WHAT ABOUT THAT DISGUSTING GREEN DEMON YOU'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH?"

"LOVE? PLEASE!" She turned her head and spat onto the ground. As she did so, she saw the area she laid in and breathed a sigh. She was here, right where she'd intended to breathe her last breath this day. Or night. She still had no idea of the time, but it didn't matter.

"I HAVEN'T LOVED ANY ONE SINCE MARK, AND YOU STOLE HIM FROM ME! YOU KILLED HIM, AND IT'S FAR PAST TIME I STOPPED RUNNING AND WENT TO JOIN HIM! BESIDES, JUST LIKE YOU SAID, THAT GREEN DEMON IS DISGUSTING! I WOULDN'T WANT HIM TOUCHING ME! HE'S SLIMY . . . LIKE A FROG!" She fought to keep her head turned so that he would not see the tear that dropped down her face.

"AND THE VAMPIRE?"

"HE'S A VAMPIRE! HE'S AS EVIL AS YOU ARE!" There were three things she could be thankful for here at the end of her life. She was thankful that they could not hear her now for she knew the practiced lies she spat out would hurt them beyond any physical pain ever could. She was thankful that she had at last known the love and trust of a family, even if it had been undeserved and had been for such a short time. Most of all, she was thankful for their love, especially her children's, Lorne's, Angel's, and Jack's. She fought her tears down, biting her lips to silence the sob that rose in her throat.

"AND THE PIRATES?"

"A DISGUSTING, FILTHY LOT! ALL ARE AS EVIL AS THAT FOOLISH VAMPIRE WHO THOUGHT HE WAS MY BROTHER!"

"HE WASN'T?"

"OF COURSE NOT! LIKE I SAID, HE'S AS EVIL AS YOU ARE! I WOULD HAVE STAKED HIM WHEN HE TRIED TO BITE ME EXCEPT THAT I THOUGHT HE MIGHT STAND A CHANCE AGAINST YOU!" She laughed derisively. "BUT NO ONE STANDS A CHANCE AGAINST YOU! I KNOW THAT NOW! I FINALLY ACCEPT IT!"

Frostbite eyed his niece, trying to figure out what she was playing at, and then he saw it. He had stopped the ice at her knees, but she had resumed the growth of the ice. It had spread up her legs, over her middle, and was now working its way up her chest . . . Realizing what she was planning, he screamed out, "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Somewhere

It seemed to the tiniest one of the group that he fell forever and a day before finally landing on something hard. It was a round, hard surface with a mixture of harder and softer things sticking through it at all sorts of angles. He had barely began to try to figure out where he was at when he heard screeching from all around. He lifted his head and looked toward the frantic screams. Pure terror immediately filled his body. He screamed and started wriggling his body as swiftly as he could.

Unfortunately, his wriggling movements only drew the monsters' attentions. Their tiny wings flapped against their feathered bodies, and they hopped and wriggled and even toppled over each other as they frantically pursued him. Worm screamed, squealing at the top of his lungs for help, as he pushed, slid, and wriggled as fast as he could. His scream became even louder and more piercing as one of the creature's beaks snapped on his tail. Pain shot through his body.

Worm shoved with every single bit of strength he possessed. He managed to lift his body out of the nest, but still the beast held to the end of his tail. He pushed with all he had but could not break free. His scream increased even more as the others began to bite him, as well. Pain filled him, and Worm realized that he was about to die . . .

A Forest

Kat stared at the gnashing, snarling, and drooling jaws of the wolves who circled around her, trying to find a way past her fire. She flinched each time one dared to touch the fire. "If ye'll only leave it be, ye win't get hurt."

"We can't leave it be."

"Yeah! If we do, we don't get to eat you!"

"And we're hungry!"

"What," she attempted to reason with them, "makes ye t'ink ye want tae eat a human any way?" Knowing that the fire would not keep them off forever, she cast a glance around in search of a means of escape. She hated running away, but the cac ar oineach Council had left her with no choice. They knew she would never willingly hurt an animal and would rather take her own life than lay a single finger in a hurting manner upon an animal. She kept talking while looking around. "I've it on good authority that we humans taste rather bitter."

"Your mother," one snarled out. He then spat at her and the fire that cut him off. He was the first one who had attacked her, the one who had managed to tear off a piece of her trench.

"Where'd ye learn that language?" Kat quirked a brow at him and tried to fight down her fear. If she showed any sign of fear to them, they would know they had power over her, though they would clearly never know why. What was wrong with these animals? What had been done to them to make them so angry, so ready to eat humans?

She'd encountered those who claimed to eat humans before, but one chance at her willing flesh had always made them back off. Some had come close to biting, but none had ever managed to carry through. Her instincts, however, told her that these would and that that was not a chance she could afford to take, not if she wanted to get back to her Captain and Ace or make that bastún Council pay. Which she would. She would burn all their asses straight to Hell!

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the leader snapped back. His eyes glared into hers as he lifted his leg and sprayed her fire. He cocked his head to one side, and one eye moved to the fire as it began to sizzle underneath his urine. He growled a command to his pack, and they circled around Kat and lifted their legs. Kat's eyes widened as they all began spraying as one.

Somewhere

Rachel had thought she'd appear in the air since Kitty was in the air and she'd told Phillip to let her go where Kitty was, but instead she found herself on the ground. She had barely began to puzzle the matter over when Lockheed roared. Ray looked up, and her mouth fell open. Kitty was running down the air towards them, but a T. Rex was hot on her tail! No dinosaur messes with my Kitty!

Kitty looked down as Lockheed's roar met her ears. "Lockheed! Rachel! What are you two doing here?! Get out of here!"

Lockheed roared again, but Ray didn't answer her. She didn't even look at her. Instead, her emerald eyes were glued to the T. Rex that was even now baring down on Kitty, and Rachel didn't seem to be aware of anything else. She was in shock! Kitty jumped the remaining distance, but she heard a gigantic roar of surprise even as she leapt toward Rachel.

Shadowcat whirled around the second she hit the ground and saw the trees where the T. Rex had been. Even the ones he had not been standing on were down now, and the dinosaur was nowhere to be seen. Then her eyes caught movement, and Kitty looked at the ground. The Rex's tail had just struck the ground, but where was the rest of him? She turned back toward Rachel, who was now grinning proudly. "What did you do?"

"I taught him not to mess with you," Ray replied with a grin that hid her pain.

Kitty eyed her best friend. "Rachel, you know better than that! You only have so much power!" She reached out, catching Ray just as her knees crumpled beneath her. "You shouldn't have done that!"

"What did you want me to do?" Rachel asked, smiling weakly up into Kitty's brown eyes. "Let him eat you?"

A grin tugged at Kitty's lips. "No, but still -- !"

"No buts. We don't have time for but's," Ray told her with a shake of her head. "We need to get moving."

Shadowcat nodded. "You're right." Draping one of Rachel's arms around her shoulder, Kitty helped her to walk as the trio began to make their get-away while the T. Rex was still out cold . . .

A Forest

"ALARTE ASCENDARE!" Though she shouted the words, she could not even hear her own voice. The snake's scales pressed against her mouth. She tasted it, and its pressure quieted her voice. But her mouth still opened and she still spoke the words, her two free fingers moving the end of her wand toward the snake.

She spoke another spell and the first again, and this time, though she still could not hear herself, the snake's eyes shot wide with surprise for its coils were unwrapping around her even faster than they had wrapped around her to begin with. Her magic whipped the snake's long body around her own, freeing her coil by coil in a matter of seconds. Then, once its coils were completely loose, it shot off of her and spiraled upward through the air. It paused in the sky, its mouth hissing wildly in a panicked scream and its eyes shooting even wider than hers had been when it had captured her; then it fell.

The snake screamed even louder and fiercer as it dropped back down. Minerva was pulling herself together and getting her feet positioned underneath her when the snake slammed back into the earth. She cried out against the pain that shot through her body as she forced herself to jump to her feet and whirl toward the giant snake. She pointed her wand at the beast, and this time, her spell thundered out. "INCENDIO!" The snake burst into flames.

Will & Jack's Bedroom

A green, bald head eyeballed the gathered Pirates now. "Euuw!" Jasmine exclaimed. "Who's that? They're ugly!"

"Gee," Phillip told her, "thanks. You're not exactly beautiful yourself."

Jasmine held her head high, her eyes gazing defiantly back at the mirror. "As a matter of fact, I am too! I may not know much, but I know that much! Otherwise, I would never have sold as much as I have!" She waltzed proudly out of the room to go check on Clark's kids. With both their fathers gone to who knew where, they would need her to watch over them.

Autolycus looked at Phillip and made a circular motion with his finger around his ear. "The girl is a bit crazy in the head, but you shouldn't have told her that she wasn't pretty because she is. We don't have an ugly woman, Phillip. We have some bitches, but even they're pretty. That was very rude and ugly of you, and have you looked in your own mirror lately?"

Phillip scowled at the mustached man. "Well, it was very rude of her to imply that I was ugly. Mind your own reflection, Pirate."

"Always do," Autolycus told him as he twitched his mustache. "Gotta look the best for Elizabeth. She's a beautiful woman and deserves only the very best."

"Then what's she doing with you?"

"I'm the very best, my friend!" He chuckled, and laughter sounded around him. "Joxer, my friend, you and I should go and hunt for the missing rum! If we find it, we could all have a party while we're waiting on them to come back!"

"I'm not going anywhere other than right here!" Joxer announced. "Eventually, he's going to make the mistake of showing Phoebe again, and when he does, I'm going through!" He sat on the bed with sword in quivering hand.

"Now, Joxer, do you really think Phoebe wants you to follow her so that she can worry about you getting killed?" He didn't want to tell the man, but Joxer couldn't fight his way out of a burlap bag.

"Me getting killed?! Ha! I'm Joxer the Mighty! I'll have to save them from getting killed!"

"Well, you know, it's kind of cold over there, Joxer, and a bit of rum would go a long way to warming every one up."

"If you want rum," Joxer told him, his eyes still not leaving the mirror's horrid reflection, "go find it yourself!"

"Be a lot faster if you'd come too." He could see he was not getting anywhere with Joxer and couldn't think of anything else that might get him away from the mirror. He wanted to ask to see Elizabeth again but was almost afraid to.

Dawson had not taken his eyes off of Phillip. "Well?" he demanded. "Show me Faith!"

"It's about time you asked, boy," Phillip told the fair-headed lad, turning his scowl upon him. Then his picture disappeared, and darkness fell across his reflection. Eventually, the darkness began to be filtered by moonlight as the cloud that had been hiding the full moon passed . . .

Somewhere

"Faith!"

"Faith, help me!"

"Help me, Faith!"

"Help!"

"Faith!"

"Help me, Faith!"

"Faith, help me!"

"Help, Faith!"

"Faith!!!"

"Help!!!"

She awoke to four different voices screaming her name at once. Faith groaned as she raised her head off of the rock that she had landed face-first upon. At first, the world around her spun, but as she slowly shook her head and waited for her vision to clear, she began to make out her surroundings. She must be very high up, because the full moon seemed to be almost within her reach. The voices . . . Her dark eyes suddenly flew open with realization, and she jumped to her feet! The voices that were yelling desperately for help belonged to Dawson, Salem, Lex, and Jack!

Looking toward the cries, Faith saw three hands and one paw scrambling for a hold on four different sides of the cliff she had landed upon. "I'm coming, guys!" she called to them, her heart lodging in her throat as she worried over whether or not she could reach them all in time. She had no time to consider which one to go after first, however, as they all lost their grips simultaneously . . .

Jack & Will's Bedroom

Dawson's mouth fell open. "DAMN!" He did not even realize the word had come out of him. "THAT'S NOT ME, FAITH!" he tried calling out to her. "I'M RIGHT HERE! I'M LOOKING AT YOU, BABY!" He continued to watch, hoping to see how he could help before jumping blindly and only making matters worse.

Somewhere

"NO!!" She lunged for Dawson first. The look of panic on his face scared her as she reached for his hand. The very ends of his fingers brushed hers as he dropped, but she could reach no further. She leapt off of the side of the cliff, spiraling down towards him and trying desperately to reach him as his, Salem's, Jack's, and Lex's screams all plagued her ears . . . The one yell she did not hear was her own as terror clutched at her heart. There was no way that she could save all four simultaneously, and she could not see the bottom of whatever they were dropping into! Sure death might well await them, she thought, and yet there was nothing she could do about it!

Finally, Faith made contact with Dawson's hand. She grabbed his hand as though he were her lifeline and called down to him. "HOLD ON!" Her back had already been scaling down the rocky edge of the cliff, but she had not tried to grab hold to something to stop her descent with. She still did not now and instead struck her feet against the side of the cliff and sprang off. She repeated the maneuver several more times as they continued to drop, trying to angle herself towards the yowling, spitting, and clawing black ball of fur she saw falling nearby but never letting go of her grip on Dawson's hand . . . "GRAB MY ARM!" Just as he did as she requested, his white-knuckled fingers tightly grasping her forearm, she managed to angle towards Salem . . .

Even as Faith began trying to grab hold of Salem, she knew that she could not reach Jack and Lex. They were probably about to die, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it!

Somewhere

Wolverine surfaced for air just in time to see Elizabeth cutting her foot and adding her blood to the water. He had been about to make that decision himself but knew that it was a dangerous thing to do as it would draw other predators beside the Krakken. "Get away from the water, Elizabeth; there're other things down here that will come in answer to yer call!"

Elizabeth's eyes rose and turned to face Wolverine defiantly. "You want to find Jack while he's still alive, don't you?" she called back.

"Yeah, but I don't want to get you ate in the meantime! He'd never forgive me if something happened to you! You've done enough, girl, an' they will soon be comin'!"

"And when they come," Elizabeth told him, "I will be ready and will fight beside you and Will!" She held her head high and breathed deeply.

Wolverine saw the two swords. He remembered back when he had seen Elizabeth fighting before and she had barely been able to hold up one. How was she ever going to handle two?! His senses tingled, and he realized that a predator was arriving but not the one they hoped for. It was a huge shark, and it was heading straight for the pair of them!

A Cavern

Kyna fought to control her raging emotions, but outwardly she remained calm save her fisted hands, whitened knuckles, thin-set lips, and betraying eyes. Her voice, however, came out in a hiss. "Do not dare to speak of him, Demon! My William is not a monster!"

"You defend him so, though he is one of the same race as I?"

"He may be a Vampire but his soul is far from black!"

"Neither is mine! How could you ever think such a thing of me, my sweet wife?!"

"Stop calling me such names, or I shall have your tongue! I am not your wife for you, you foul, lowsome monstrosity, are not my Sheng!"

"But I am! Can you not see for yourself? Do you not remember my body?" His eyes sought hers, but she refused to meet his gaze. "My eyes?" He stretched out a hand toward her. She eyed it, expecting an attack, but none came. Claws yellowed from decay stretched further toward her as his gnarled hand opened to offer her his palm.

She didn't take it.

"Take it."

"No!"

"Oh, my dearest darling, why can you not see that I am me? If you can even forgive the monster who killed and turned me, why can you not accept me?"

He'd done it now! Spike's involvement was still a sore spot in the treasure of a relationship he shared with Kyna, and he'd be damned if he'd let this creature use it against her! With a snarl, he started forward.

The North Pole

As they came to the clearing, they saw that the entire sky seemed to be filled with the awful presence of the Ice Demon. Their frantic eyes searched the ground and found their beloved Crys laying upon the ground that was covered with snow and ice. Blood was also sprinkled upon the ground, and the entire group realized that the blood was Crystal's without looking any closer at it. Jack and the animals recognized the area immediately. Lorne and Cordelia did not look past Crystal's body that was quickly becoming covered with ice, but Angel's and Delvira's gazes caught sight of a pattern in the snow underneath her. The Vampires looked closer and saw that the pattern was not natural but whether manmade, an inverted pentagram.

"Damn," Delvira whispered. "She didn't just take herself to him. She intended to give in to him entirely; that must be where it all started."

Lorne could not tear his eyes away from the woman he loved, and the minute that Jack sat him on the ground, he raced to her side. "Stop it, Crys!" he begged her as he gathered her in his arms. "I know you can still hear me! Do not give in! We're here to help you fight! Do not leave me, my darling!" he pleaded.

Angel's eyes had only looked at Crys for a few seconds before returning to Frostbite. He knew he was the strongest one of the group, yet he knew Frostbite could take him out in the blink of an eye. He had no plan. He had raked his brain seriously, trying to come up with something, but none had formed. How to defeat ice? And not just ice, but the most awful amount of ice he'd ever seen in his life? If only they had some kind of firepower! "Do you have a plan?" he asked Delvira.

Will & Jack's Bedroom

Dawson shook his head. He knew that what he was seeing had to be mirages. He'd already seen Jack and Lex and knew that the two before them were not them. Was Faith even real? He knew the Dawson wasn't, because here he kneeled, gazing into Phillip! "Phillip, what is fake and what is real here? Can you show me the difference? How can I help?" He eagerly anticipated getting there, but he didn't want to just blindly jump into it. What if he caused further damage?

"I can not."

Autolycus had been watching what was going on with Faith. He, too, had looked from the boy that Faith was rescuing to the kid kneeling on the floor. "Which one of you is real?" he asked. He reached out and tapped Dawson with his booted foot. "You feel real, but are you really who you appear to be?"

At Autolycus' words, the remaining Pirates pulled swords and pointed them straight at Dawson, who looked at them in fright. "What do you mean if I'm real?! Of course I'm real! That's the fake one!"

Sebastian scuttled quickly across the floor and sniffed Dawson. "He smells real enough, mon!"

Bishop had been in the room eyeing Chong, who was still naked, the whole time and was now brandishing a sword. He didn't like being anywhere near the China man, let alone a naked, armed China man. He kept trying to remember where he'd lost his gun but couldn't. Now, when Dawson was in question, he had leaped toward the bed, grabbing a sword and being one of the first to point it directly at Dawson. If the China man moved on him, he could swing it instantly toward the China man and defend himself.

Hansel eyed the big, black man who kept looking at his lover. He didn't know the stranger, but he didn't appreciate the way he kept staring at Chong. His grip on the hilt of the sword he'd pulled from the bed tightened, and he moved his feet silently against the floor. It didn't bother him that he was naked or that the large step he took left his member dangling down into the open for all to see. The only thing that really was bothering him right now was the way the African was looking at his Chinese otter. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the big man angrily. He might be big, but he could still take him! If he made one move on Chong, there would be Hell to pay!

Carlos glanced from the naked men and Bishop to Trent, whose face was redder than a tomato. A grin tugged at his mouth even as he kept his sword pointed on the kid. He really wanted to laugh at the situation and especially the look on Trent's face, but he wasn't about to embarrass his best friend even further. Plus, he was worried about Trina, who Trent and he had been searching for when screams had erupted from this room and they had come to see what was happening, and had already been contemplating seeing if the mirror could find her, though he figured she was probably safe down on the beach, when the boy's identity had been taken into question. Carlos barely knew the lad, but the knowledge of the possibility of an enemy being within their abode had caused him, like Trent, to pull a sword upon the boy. Now he listened and watched what was happening and wondered just how good the talking lobster's nose was. Dare they trust the crab's judgment, especially when he'd make a much better meal than he would an alley?

Rogue didn't know if Dawson was real or not. Her mind had been on Joseph and Kennedy, and the worry had caused small creases in her forehead. She didn't feel right about leaving Kennedy alone, but she had to find out where Joseph was and what was going on. When the commotion about the boy being real or not had erupted, she merely glanced at him and used that moment to ask Phillip where Joseph was.

Trent looked at the lobster, his eyes seeming about to pop out of his head, even as the mirror's reflection changed. "Did you just talk?" His grip on the sword he held had become lax, but now he retightened it. What was with all these talking animals?! Did any one else hear this one?

Somewhere

The first thing Joseph became aware of was several somethings poking hard into his body. He could see feet when his eyes opened, but when he tried to lift his head, something hard, perhaps made of wood, shoved his head back into the dirt. "Stay down, man," a voice snarled.

"He looks like a good specimen," another voice spoke.

"He might produce well."

It was female voices that were speaking from above him, and Joseph definitely did not like what he was hearing. He tried several times to rise while they continued talking, but he was struck back down each time. "Let's see how good a kisser he is."

Joseph's blue eyes shot wild at that statement. His hands balled into fists. His mind searched for metallic objects, magnetism in the earth, anything he might able to use . . . Just as he was beginning to get a fix on it, however, one of the women grabbed a handful of his long, white hair, snatched his head back, and planted her lips firmly upon his.

"I swear I don't know what she sees in those things."

"They're so disgusting!"

"Males! If we didn't need them for breeding season -- "

Several gasps then escaped the women as their own swords snatched out of their hands and began striking the one who was kissing the man. She yelled as they hit her knees, forcing her to fall and, therefore, relinquish her grip. "Women," Joseph roared as he finally succeeded in getting to his feet as he defended himself with the flying swords, "I am not interested!"

"We don't care if you're interested," a woman brandishing sais told him as she approached him. "We're taking you any way." Her sais snatched away from her.

Another woman hit Joseph in the back of the head with her bo staff. He fell to the ground, unconscious, and the metal weapons also fell. "I don't know how he was doing it," another Amazon commented, "but he must have been controlling them!"

"A fine specimen indeed then. Let's away with him, sisters!"

An especially large and muscular woman walked up, picked Joseph up as though he weighed no more than a babe, and tossed him over her shoulder. They began to carry him off in the direction of their camp.

Jack & Will's Bedroom

Rogue stared angrily at the mirror, her hands clenched in rage. How dare those filthy bitches touch her man and even suggest that he be for breeding season! She had to get there so that she could kick their asses! "Amazons?" she asked Phillip.

"That would be my guess."

"Ah need some one ta watch Kennedy." She turned around and looked at the Pirates in the room. "The kid's really Dawson," she told them. "Ah don' know why y'all're pickin' on him. Ah know Faith ain't gonna like it when she gets back. Now which one o' ya's gonna volunteer to watch Kennedy until Ah return?"

Considering his options, Bishop looked from Hansel's sword to Chong's much larger sword. "I'll do it," he was quick to tell Rogue.

"Thank ya, Bishop. She's in mah room." Rogue said even as she flew through Phillip and Bishop made a beeline for the safety of Rogue's room.

The Beach

Trina's eyes widened as she saw the winged being that was now on the mirror. "That's not what I meant." She continued to be careful to keep her voice to a low whisper that she hoped would not carry through the mirror.

"That's what you said."

"Who said what?" Joxer asked, looking at Phillip. "And what made her," he continued, meaning Rogue, "so sure that this is Dawson?" He poked at Dawson with his sword and eyed the talking lobster. Was his name Sebastian or something like that? "How good is your nose?"

"That's the Angel of Death?"

"The head one, yes."

"There's more than one?"

"Yes."

Somewhere

To Rogue's amazement, she did not find herself in the beautiful, lush-covered area that she had just witnessed, but it was dark all around! She continued to fly, not knowing where she was going, blindly seeking her way, and then, up ahead, she saw a light. The more she flew toward it, the further away it seemed. Ah must reach that destination! she told herself.

Ah have ta get there! Joseph must be on the othah side o' the light! She sped up her flight, hoping that it would not take her too long to reach the Amazons who dared to pick on her man. She hoped Kennedy had not managed to do something stupid in the short time it would have taken Bishop to reach her room. She continued flying.

Somewhere

They were coming! He could feel the temperatures dropping and the darkness somehow seemed to be growing even darker. He held his wand high above him and ran as fast as his old legs could carry him. He felt them growing ever closer and then something lowered into the pathway in front of him.

It looked, at first glance, like a black cloak simply hanging in the air, but Erik knew better. He didn't need to look to see the gnarled hands reaching for him. He turned and started to run in the other direction, but another dropped down in front of him. He fought down the urge to scream, turned, and ran in another direction. The Dementors followed hot on his heels.

Somewhere

Wolverine turned to face the enemy, his claws at the ready. He dove under just as the shark was about to ram into him. He raked his claws down the shark's side, causing deep, gashing wounds to appear. Other predators would now be coming for the scent of blood was heavy in the water. The girl would not listen to him, and he knew better than to argue with her. He resurfaced, seeing the floating shark laying dead in the water.

Will popped up beside Wolverine. "Are you crazy?!" he started to ask Wolverine, wondering why in the heck the old man, who should have known better, had just infested the water with blood when he saw Elizabeth. "ELIZABETH, GET OUT OF THE WATER!" he yelled.

"No! Now catch!" She tossed the sword, whose feel she liked the less, to him. She was determined to fight but knew that she was nowhere near as good as any of the men. Wolverine had his claws and was not in need of a sword, but Will would do wonderfully with two blades.

Will quickly sheathed his hatchet and deftly caught the sword. "GET OUT," he yelled again, "BEFORE THE PREDATORS COME!"

Elizabeth did not bother to argue with the men, but her eyes grew large as she saw, in the silver light of the moon, ripples appearing in the water behind them. "GET READY!" she told them. "SOMETHING'S COMING!" The words were barely out of her mouth when she dove and began swimming to reach them.

A Cavern

"William did not kill Sheng!" As the adamant protest exploded from her mouth, Kyna sprang into action. She struck her enemy's offered hand with her elbow, grabbed his head, and slammed his head into her knee. As the creature fell back with a yowl of pain and a despairing cry of how she could have done that to "him", Kyna turned to look for Spike, whose snarl she had heard. She kept one eye on the beast even as she took in the welcomed sight of her handsome beloved.

"Hello, luv." He grinned fangily at her, trying to make light of the dire, traumatic experience they were caught in.

"William . . . " She breathed his name even as she marvelled at how he had known she needed him and had somehow, by some miracle (it had to be a miracle to get him through all the Council's spells and other guards, especially in one piece), managed to reach her. Then a horrifying thought occurred to Kyna. Her eyes shot wild, and her face blanched. "You are real, aren't you?!" She might be able to fight Sheng, but she could never fight both Sheng and William!!!

Somewhere

His vision was darkening. Pain filled every inch of him. He knew he would soon be joining his Missus without even a chance of enjoying life without her domineering ways, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He had no way to fight. He had never been able to fight. He had always relied on his King for protection, but there was no sign of his King sweeping to his rescue this time. There was also no sign of the fire Witch who had stood for him. There was no sign of help at all, and soon . . . Soon, it would all be too late . . .

Something huge slammed into the tree, and everything immediately turned topsy turvy. Worm and the baby birds screeched simultaneously as they fell. Worm coiled into a tight ball, making himself even tinier, and the small birds beat their wings to no avail. From far away, he heard two larger birds screaming, and Worm realized that the parents were flying after their babies. He drew himself even tighter together, so tightly that he felt like he might break what little body he had left.

The huge birds flew past him, their screeches filling his sensors. He fell again for what felt like forever, but this time forever turned out to be far shorter than it had been before. When he landed, Worm uncoiled just enough that he could lift his head and look around. The birds had flown back up into the sky. He didn't know if they had saved all their children or not, and as their babies had been feeding upon him, Worm really didn't care. Looking further around, he saw a massive green tail disappearing into the distance. Worm didn't know what it was but figured that that must have been what had knocked the tree over.

Without wasting any time, Worm then turned his attention to seeking a hiding place. Spotting a hole under a nearby tree, Worm began to wriggle toward it. He never realized that he was leaving a trail of blood behind him or that there was a crumpled body just a few feet away . . .

To Be Continued . . .