Chapter Thirty-nine

Jack & Will's Bedroom

Phillip had finally had enough. He looked at Joxer again. "You should be glad she didn't want you to go through. It's dangerous. You might have gotten killed, and then Phoebe would be crying."

Joxer didn't hear him, though. He was too lost to his tears.

The House

Left alone in the hallway, Cordelia let herself grunt, groan, and sweat freely as she hauled the bag of salt slowly up the staircase. She was finally beginning to manage it quite well, or so she thought, when her foot slipped out from under her. She cried out involuntarily as she fell onto the staircase. Brushing the hair out of her face, she glared angrily at the heavy bag. "You're going to James and the others," she told it. She grabbed hold of it as she got to her feet and renewed her struggles. "Even if it kills me."

What would they need salt for, Cordelia wondered, and how long did they have? Time might well be of the essence, but she had no way to know. After all, what, besides cooking, did one use salt for? Was there any way to get it up the staircase faster? Joxer would only end up getting trapped by the bag, and she knew she had more strength than Phoebe. Lorne and Rogue were gone to help with whatever, or whoever, Bishop had found, and the others were gone except for the animals. She could call Donkey, but it would probably only fall off of his back. Knowing their degrading luck, the bag probably wouldn't stop falling until it hit the last rung of the staircase.

"Need a hand, ma'am?" Cordelia jumped at the quiet voice that unexpectedly spoke up from behind her and looked quickly over her shoulder as two masculine hands with hardened calluses took the bag from her. "Where are you headed with this thing?"

Cordelia stared at the blonde man, then hurried to press herself against the wall and get out of his way. "The mirror. James Hook needs it."

"Well, I can't go jumping through any portal again any time soon -- not until I find my sister at least -- but I can get this there for you."

"Thanks." Cordelia smiled. "Trent, isn't it?"

He nodded as he began hauling the bag quickly up the steps. "Yes, ma'am."

A Shore

Toly had been on the monkey's head, hitting him with the hilt of his sword, for what seemed like forever. The only thing it seemed to do was to make the monkey madder, because he was constantly having to duck as the monkey's free hand was shooting up and trying to catch the flea that was bothering it.

Wolverine had been chasing the giant monkey for what seemed like forever to no avail. Suddenly, up ahead, the monkey came to a stand still as though he had been bounced into a trap of some kind. He raced to catch up with the monkey. Once there, he looked at the monkey's feet in disbelief as they had been pulled into the ground and were stuck fast. Sheathing his sword, he began to climb up the monkey's body, hoping to reach Jack's side soon. He had lost track of Will and Elizabeth and hoped that they were both safe, but he figured that they were doing their best to help Jack as well as he was. He looked down and saw that Elizabeth was on the ground and, by the light of the moon, he could see Phoebe, as well. What was she doing here? he wondered. Then he saw that she was holding the Book clutched tightly against her breast. He could not see Will or Didymus anywhere. "I'm comin', Jack!" he called, hoping that Jack could hear him even though he was only half-way up.

Will had slid to a stop on the beach when he had witnessed something apparently growing from the monkey's feet. It looked like long strings from the distance that parted them, but as Will watched in amazement, those long strings caught hold of the ground and stuck the monkey to it. Swallowing his surprise, Will raced in and was even more astounded to see the monkey trying to snatch its massive feet away from the ground and the roots that held him firmly. Will shook it off, thinking to himself that it was yet another Supernatural occurrence that whose explanation he probably did not want to know, and ran to the monkey's foot. He jumped up just as the monkey snatched its foot again and caught hold of the beast's ankle. Will sheathed his sword, grabbed a handful of hair, and began to pull himself up. He did not know what had happened to the monkey and did not want to know; he only hoped he could reach Jack in time. He heard Wolverine shouting above him but did not hear any answering call from Jack. Will doubled his speed.

Wolverine continued to call Jack's name as he climbed. He did not know what was keeping the monkey's free hand busy at the top of his head, but he was thankful that it was not reaching out for him. After a bit, he heard Jack's answering call. Jack wanted to know where Will was; he had seen him thrown and prayed that his love was all right. Wolverine couldn't tell him, because he hadn't seen Will again. He, too, hoped the boy was all right. Instead of telling Jack that he didn't know where Will was, Wolverine chose to ignore the question and tell Jack he'd be there in a few minutes, better to save that argument until he'd actually seen Jack face to face. He knew that if Jack didn't find out where Will was, he'd send Wolverine to look for him. Jack waited impatiently for his father to reach him.

Will breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Jack answer Wolverine at long last. The sound of his lover's voice gave him renewed strength and Will began grabbing more hair and pulling himself up faster and faster. He ached to reach Jack, get him out of this place, and show him how much he meant to him. The thoughts of what he would like to do to and with Jack led Will's mind to a darker place, and memories flashed through his mind's eye. He groaned at the remembered tortures but was not aware of any sound slipping out of his mouth. He could see Anamaria again, telling him that she would use him to lure Jack and then kill them both. He could feel the blade of her knife again, and one of his hands instinctively left the monkey to feel of his crotch. He was in tact, he reassured himself. He had been healed. He should be all right. But what if it didn't work? What if he couldn't . . . ?

The monkey suddenly roared, and the hand that was closed around Jack in a tight fist slapped down at the area where Will was clinging unwittingly to his hair. Will flattened himself into the monkey's leg and barely missed getting swatted. The hand buzzed in again, and this time Will slipped to the inside of the monkey's hairy leg just in time to get missed.

The fingers were coming straight at Toly, and he flattened himself one more time. It was time for him to get down from this rocky perch and get to somewhere where he could do some real damage. All he was doing on top of the head was making the monkey mad, and that was one thing they didn't need -- was a madder monkey. He wished he had his friend's, Ace's, power so that he could tell the monkey to, "Go home, little crack monkey". He wondered where Ace was and if he and Kat were all right.

He only had a brief moment to think about Ace, however, as the monkey flinched and trembled and Toly could feel it doing something but didn't know what he was doing. He fastened his hands even tighter into the monkey's hair just as the huge beast let go with a sneeze. His feet slipped out from under him, and all he had to hold on to was the monkey's hair.

The sneeze made Wolverine lose his grip and begin to fall further down the monkey. When he had managed to stop himself from falling, he could no longer see or hear Jack. Now, he could see Will, and Will was higher than he was. What was the boy playing at, hiding in the monkey's thigh? he wondered. "Will, are ya all right?" Wolverine called up. "Jack's all right; all he wants to know is where yer at." He began to work his way back up the huge monkey.

While his other hand went back to slapping at Autolycus, the monkey lifted the hand that held Jack and ran it along his itching nose. He could feel another sneeze coming, and it annoyed him further. His nose jerked several times even as he felt something crawling on him again and lowered his empty hand to swat at the flea that was beginning to climb up his leg. How had he come to suddenly have so many more fleas, he wondered, and what was holding him to the ground? As these thoughts passed through his mind, his nose renewed its itchings. He scratched it, picked his nose, and thunked the booger downward. He paid no attention to the high-pitched screams that erupted from the ground, but his nose was itching more now. He sniffled and jerked his nose several times, but the sneeze erupted nonetheless. This time, the sneeze exploded with such force that he fell forward. The hand holding Jack opened, and the Pirate Captain was sent abruptly sailing through the air.

Will barely caught sight of Jack's flying form from where he was clinging to the inside of the monkey's thigh. "JACK!!!" he screamed just as the monkey's hand hit him full-on. He lost his grip and fell.

Wolverine fell downward, his arms reaching out and trying to reach Will before he hit the ground. He had no idea of where the damn monkey had thrown Jack or even if his boy was still alive. He had to be, Wolverine swore to himself. If that thing's killed Jack, I'll kill him slowly, inch by inch! He caught a hold of Will's pants and held him as he finished climbing down. Who was on the head, he wondered, and would they make it down all right?

Once on the ground, he spied Phoebe and Elizabeth. "Phoebe, how long'll that spell last?" He did not want the huge monkey getting free.

Phoebe shrugged. "I hate to tell you this, but your guess is as good as mine. I've never used it before. And actually, it's for a Demon, not a monkey." She shrugged again and grinned a grin that she didn't feel. "I improvised."

Elizabeth rushed to Will's side. "Are you all right?" she questioned, looking him over as she held the coconut shell next to her chest.

Will nodded. "We've got to move after Jack. We've gotta find him before it's too late!"

"As much as I want to run after him," Elizabeth told the others, "he's not the only one in trouble." She pointed toward the water. "Didymus got snatched."

"What snatched him," Wolverine asked, "an' where'd ya last see him?"

"All I saw was a green tentacle. It caught his foot and pulled him into the water. It almost got him, too," she said, indicating the tiny merkitten who dared not make a sound and had instead burrowed as deep into the shell as he could, "but he managed to throw him at the last second."

Wolverine raced to the water and dove in. He had had more baths this day than he'd had in a year. Once under the water, he began to search for Didymus. Dead ahead, in front of him, Wolverine saw the green monster that had snatched Didymus. The small dog was limp, and Wolverine was afraid he'd been under the water too long. He swam forward and, before the green monster knew he was there, he had sliced off the tentacle that held Didy. Grabbing the dog, he swam him back to the surface and then laid his inert form at Elizabeth's feet. "I'm afraid he's been under too long." He looked at Elizabeth to see if she was willing mouth to mouth on the small animal in an effort to save him.

Elizabeth was already kneeling beside Didymus and pulling her hair behind her back so that it would not be in her way. Will had to fight with himself to remain still as he watched the proceedings. Every inch of him was wailing that they were wasting time that should be being used in finding and saving Jack. Elizabeth had pried open Didymus' mouth and had her hands at the ready above his chest. Just as she was lowering her mouth onto the small dogman's, Will caught sight of movement behind Wolverine. With a yell, he raced forward, unsheathing his sword as he ran. He cut smoothly through the tentacle, and the sea monster snatched the remaining part of his tentacle into the water. Will kicked the severed part after it and turned to look at the others. "I suggest we move this further inland before that thing tries again."

Elizabeth did not seem to hear him, however, as she was concentrating on working on Didymus. Will started to speak again but was broke off by a cry from Phoebe as she toppled to the sand.

Wolverine knelt beside Phoebe. He reached out a hand and touched her reassuringly, letting her know that she was not alone. "What do ya see, Phoebe, girl? Is it Jack?"

Somewhere

Meanwhile, the person that they were all concerned about had picked himself shakily up off of the ground and was having a hard time getting the disgusting monkey snot off of himself. It seemed to be everywhere, even in his ears. It's a good thing that Will can't see me now, Jack thought, for he'd never want to touch me. I am most disgusting! Each step he took made a squishy sound. He thought he had best find some water and clean himself up, but everywhere he looked, he saw bushes. Picking a direction, he set off.

The night was eerily quiet except for the squishing sound he was making. Then he thought he heard something behind himself. He stopped and looked back but didn't see anything. He took another step. Again, he heard an echoing step. He whirled around, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, ready to do battle with whatever was following him. It was then that he heard a cheery voice. "Welcome, Captain. We've been missing you. Come in . . . " He whirled around before the voice could continue, but there was no one there. He walked a little further. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by dead bodies. They were everywhere! The ground was no longer the same. Jack thought he was aboard a ghost ship. He looked at the dead faces that surrounded him and recognized every one of them: men he had lost in battle, even some who he had killed in the heat of the moment. One minute their eyes were closed, and the next minute they were all open and laughing. Into their midst came Anamaria. He knew he had killed her, but now her pieces had somehow knitted back together again. She danced in front of him and stroked his beard with her hand as she passed. He could feel it. It was real, or at least, he thought it was. "Welcome to the party, Captain, and you're the host of honor for you see, you've killed each and every one of us! And now it's your turn." They began to diverge upon him, and Jack turned round and round in a circle with his sword held, pointed outward, ready to strike any who dared to touch him again. His eyes took on the look of a mad man. How do you kill the dead?! he wondered. Would he ever live to see his Will again? Then they were upon him.

The House

Cordelia trailed behind Trent as Trent carried the bag as though it barely weighed half of what it did into the room. He set it beside the mirror and looked at her. "Do you need me to throw it in there?"

"Not yet," Cordelia mused slowly as her hazel eyes were drawn to Joxer, who was sitting, crying, and rocking in the middle of the floor.

Trent's gaze followed the woman's. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." Cordelia knelt beside Joxer and touched his shoulder gently. "Joxer, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"My Phoebe went through, and she didn't want me! She left me here! Don't anybody want me!" He renewed his crying.

Cordelia put an arm around Joxer and hugged him reassuringly even as her mind searched quickly for something to help the poor lad. "You know, Angel left me too, but then I realized that he wanted me to help with Connor. Maybe Phoebe felt that she could handle the monkey and wanted to leave you here to help with something else?"

"Like what?" Joxer asked, looking up into Cordelia's face. "What can I do? Nobody will give me a chance! Even Toly got to go through, and he's sure not a fighter! He's a jewel thief!" Joxer said very disdainfully.

"We need some one to watch over the mirror." She held up a finger to silence Joxer's protest. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but think about it. These animals can't call for help when help's needed." She winked at Donkey to let him know to stay silent. "They can't figure out who needs what, and they certainly can't call to Crystal when those animals can start coming through again."

The small group looked up as new footsteps sounded. Cordelia tried to recall the big African's name but was unable to even as he questioned Phillip. "Phillip, I've been told to report to you. Do you have need of me?"

"You can help here shortly," Cordelia told him, answering for Phillip. She had a strange feeling of unseen eyes upon her but brushed it off and looked at Trent. "That frees you to continue looking for your sister. Thanks again."

Trent nodded and hurried from the room. He didn't want any part of that mirror and never would have gone through it in the first place if not for Trina.

Cordelia looked at Joxer. "Do you think you can do that, Joxer? Get help as help is needed from the others and keep an eye on everything? It's a very important job."

"Yes, I think I can. I didn't know Phillip needed watching over."

Phillip had to bite his tongue to keep his mouth closed. Since when did he need watching? But he'd never contradict a lady! "I hadn't thought of that, Joxer," Phillip told him. "You can monitor. That's a very important job! You can tell me who to check on, and we can check on them!"

"It's not as good as fighting," Joxer told Cordelia, "but it's important and it needs to be done, so I can do it and I will do it! I can do a good job of it, too!" He brushed his tears off of his face and got to his feet. "Phillip, show us James Hook. Please?" he asked. "I believe Cordelia has something for him."

Bishop walked over to stand beside Cordelia. "Looks like they need our help in there. I'll take this. What's in it?" he asked as he picked up the huge bag.

Donkey had moved closer to Cordelia after Joxer had risen and walked to the mirror. "I don't like the way ya did it," he told her in a whisper, "but at least it shut his whining up."

Cordelia winked at him. "That was my intentions, and I know you can help too." She gently scratched his head. "Keep Joxer out of trouble and help to keep the peace in the room. You'll also be better at getting help than Joxer will be. You can get to them a lot faster." She stroked him again, then got to her feet and walked over to stand beside Bishop. All that she had said to Donkey had been in a low whisper that the men couldn't hear, but now she rose her voice to her normal speaking level.

"That," Cordelia told Bishop, indicating the bag, "is salt." She shrugged. "I don't know what good it will do, but Hagrid said that Xavier said Hook needed it. Take it with you when you go through, but head for those ugly Pirates that Frederic's trying to keep away from the others. I'll see what I can do with the cake." She eyed the living, man-eating cake again and shook her head. "I don't think I could even dream something this bizarre," she mumbled.

"We both need weapons," he told Cordelia. "Never go empty-handed into a battle." He looked at the bed and spied a battle axe. He picked it up and hefted it expertly. "Has a good balance," he told her. Then he picked up the biggest broadsword on the bed. "I'll choose these, but you need something that will cut and that you can handle." He looked at the other weapons. "I believe, milady, this one will do you quite nicely." He picked up a rapier and handled her the hilt. "Try swinging it. See if you can handle it."

Cordelia was determined not to reveal how nervous she was or even that she was nervous. She accepted the hilt and swung the sword as Angel had taught her, ending with the point of blade aimed directly at Bishop. She winked at him. "En guarde, milord."

"I believe you're handling that quite nicely, milady. Come; let's go rescue James and his people. You should be able to cut that cake into a million pieces with that sword." He hooked the axe into his belt and hefted the sack of salt. Bishop walked into Phillip and found himself standing beside Frederic. Frederic was flaying wildly at the Zombies, but they were still coming on strong and showed no signs of letting up. "I think I have something you want here," Bishop told Frederic.

Frederic could not turn as he could not take his eyes off of the Zombies. "Thanks for coming," he told the black man he could see out of the corner of his eye. "I can use all the help I can get! I'm growing quite tired, and they show no signs of letting up. What have you brought in the bag?"

"Salt," Bishop told him and was rewarded with a gleam in Frederic's eye as he turned swiftly around and ripped the sack open with a single swipe of his sword.

"Just what we needed, my friend," Frederic told him. "Pour it on the enemy!" As the salt began to hit the Zombies, they started screaming at the top of their lungs and began to fall. "Don't waste any," Frederic warned Bishop. "They may regroup and return."

Bishop nodded and continued to pour the salt. He was surprised that it actually seemed to be stopping the Zombies.

Somewhere

They continued on for some time, neither daring to speak lest the Dementors hear their voices and find a way to elude Joseph's patronus long enough to circle back. Magnus was smiling now, however, and had been ever since seeing his little brother's patronus come to life. He had not gotten a clear shot of it and was not entirely sure what animal it was, but he had witnessed the size and strength of it and was both proud of his little brother's skill and glad to know that he had so much happiness to draw upon in his new life. One day, he would ask him to tell him what he had missed out on in his life, and on one day, he would also thank the lady, Rogue, for taking such good care of his baby brother. He had a feeling that she had a good bit to do with Joseph's happiness, if not all of it.

After all, he knew what Charles meant to him. If not for him, Erik never would have survived the years after Joseph's loss, but when he had nothing, Charles had came to him. He had given him hope and a reason to continue. He had taken care of him and helped him in more ways than Magnus had ever deserved. It was his love that had healed him and his love that had made him joyful when everything else in his world was bleak to black. Charles meant everything to him.

Magnus' thoughts broke off as rustlings up ahead met his ears. He straightened and fell somber. He placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder to stop him. "Let me go ahead," he directed, plucking his wand from his little brother's fingers. "I'll take care of whatever it is."

Joseph remembered his brother well now and knew that there was no use in arguing with him. "All right," he told him, "but if you need me, you'd better call me." He let Erik go on ahead but trailed behind him, keeping his brother in sight at all times.

Magnus followed the sounds of heavy breathing to some tall shrubbery. He took hold of the weeds and was just beginning to move them aside when a giddy, female voice squealed in delight. "Oh, Charles!" Those two simple words made Erik's blood run colder than it had been even when the Dementors had been fast upon their trail. He hurriedly pushed the weeds aside, and what he saw in the clearing beyond made his heart sink past his boots and brought his whole world to a screaming halt.

Tears welled in Erik's eyes, and his hands shook. This could not be real! Charles could not be holding a woman, kissing her with all the passion he kissed him, stroking her body in places upon the bloody wench that he'd never touch if he loved him! Erik's blue eyes blazed, and magnesium crackled from his clenched fists.

"Erik?" he barely heard his little brother calling from behind him. "Erik, what is it?"

"Nothing for you to mind, Joseph," Magnus barely managed to get out pass his clenched teeth. "I'll handle it."

Joseph's hand on his shoulder came at a bad time for Magnus whirled to meet him and instinctively struck out. Joseph ducked, avoiding his brother's blow, and looked at him in surprise. "What has gotten hold of you so?" His blue eyes narrowed as he peered past Magnus. "That is your man, isn't it? Charles Xavier? I thought he loved you?"

"As did I," Magnus snarled out, "but this day, he shall regret his lies!" Joseph grabbed Erik's shoulders to stop him from running out, and Erik shook underneath his brother's grip. Everything in him was screaming to attack, and if his little brother got in the way now, he might well kill him. "Release me!" he spat.

"I will in a moment," Joseph told him, looking into his eyes, "but first I want you to consider something, Erik. Please just give me a moment, and if my words do not make sense, then you may go out there and thrash him and her to no end. But did you not truly believe that Charles loved you? Had you two not been together for a very long time, and did he not seem to think the world of you? Do you honestly think you could have been so greatly deceived, or could this all be a trick, another test?"

Joseph watched the emotions flickering in his older brother's eyes and nodded. "They may well have you set up here. You may kill Charles in your anger, and he may be innocent. I do not know if that is the real Charles or not, but killing him, even if he is not, could affect the real Charles. It may even kill him, and at the very least, your distrust might endanger your relationship with him."

"What do you expect me to do?!" Magnus demanded. "Simply stand here and let him fuck her?!"

Joseph blushed at his brother's blatant words. "No," he told him with a shake of his head, "but answer me this. If you had not seen this, would you trust Charles?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly believe he would do this to you?"

"No."

"Then walk away with me now, brother. Turn your back to this most disgusting scene and cling to your belief and your trust in Charles. Our eyes can often times be deceiving, especially underneath the Council's control. Consider this. I forgot all about you, the others, the world we came from, and even our lives before. You thought me dead. I know you must have for otherwise, you would have sought me out. Sean and Emma each believed the other to be dead. They thought they had witnessed their murders, yet each lived."

Erik was slowly beginning to nod, but still his wizened face was haunted with great sadness and despair. Joseph could see the fury still ticking in his blue eyes. "You're . . . You're right. This . . . It must be a trick," he said with a sad, disgusted shake of his head. "Charles would never . . . ever do anything like this." He hoped. He prayed.

"Then come, brother dearest," Joseph told his older brother, taking his hand in his, "and let us walk away from this trap of theirs. Let us prove to them how great your love and trust in Charles is and turn our backs upon this deceitful illusion and never look back." He led Magnus away, but it took everything in Erik not to chase back after the image of Charles. The further they walked, the dimmer the illusion became, but their words still burned in Erik's ears and the sight still ravaged his heart and raped his soul.

The Court Room

Albus squeezed Charles' shoulder reassuringly. He did not have to look at his old friend to know that there were tears in his eyes. "See there!" he declared for Xavier to the Council. "Magnus believes in Charles! Their love can not be tainted by the likes of you!" His answer came in sneers and boos, but he did not care. The Pirates and Salem's men would prove themselves yet, he was certain, and make the others eat their words.

"Love is a beautiful thing," a female spoke up from Charles' other side, "and his shines radiantly for you, dear friend." Albus looked at Cinderella as she patted Charles' shoulder with a gloved hand.

A whisper brought Dumbledore's gaze down beside him, and he smiled secretively at Aslan's hushed words. "They will win the day yet." The proud lion's tail swished in the air, but Albus could see the sadness in his eyes and knew he knew what was yet to come for his people who were involved. He stroked the top of his head and whispered in turn to him. "I am only sorry that it has come with such a high cost."

Somewhere

As Bishop joined Frederic in squaring off against the Zombies, Cordelia turned to face the cake. She had never seen or dreamed of such a thing in all her life for, even now, the gigantic birthday cake's mouth was crunching down upon James' and Connor's arms. She knew that both must be in dire pain, and her heart ached for them, though especially for Connor. She had to help Smee free them. Why was the old man just biting the cake, she wondered, and spitting it out? Why was he not fighting it? Holding her sword high, Cordelia moved in for a blow.

James screamed at the top of his lungs. He was still spitting blood from where he had bit the cake and it had broken his front tooth out. "DON'T, CORDELIA! YOU'LL BE CAUGHT FAST TOO! SWORDS ARE NO GOOD AGAINST IT!"

Connor was relieved that his father had yelled instead of him. He was still spitting cake even though he had only bit once. He felt like his mouth was full of muck and he was drowning under its weight.

Cordelia stopped as James screamed and looked at him in surprise. So that's why Smee's not fighting it, she thought, but then what do I do? "What can I do to help then?" she questioned, eyeing the cake. She had also noted the blood running from James' mouth and had a strong feeling that she really didn't want to bite the thing.

"I don't know how to stop it," James told her. "Smee is the only one who's having any effect on it. I thought it was a test for me, but I think it's for Smee instead."

Cordelia bent and laid her sword upon the ground, but even as she did so, her eyes remained on the cake. Smee had not spoken a single word to her, but she knew, as she watched, that that was because he was biting as swiftly as he could. Each bite took more out of the cake, but its cake simply slid down to fill the hole. She watched intently, feeling each second tick away, for several minutes before speaking again at last. "I have an idea. Smee," she touched his wide shoulder to get his attention, "can you move down and bite next to Connor? As close to where his arm is caught as possible?"

Smee didn't know what the woman was thinking, but at this point, he was willing to try anything. He rubbed his mouth as he took the few paces down to where Connor was caught, making a wide berth around James even then.

Cordelia, too, noted the berth and wondered about it but did not make mention of it aloud. If this worked with Connor, Smee was going to have to get close to James, regardless of whatever they were fighting about. For a brief moment, her mind flashed back to the night she had quarrelled with Angel, and she shook her head. Thank Gods she'd gotten rid of that note. How foolish could she have been to completely doubt Angel so quickly for so little? He was a man and, as such, did not always use the best part of his brain, but he loved her and had never meant any harm. If he'd known . . .

Cordelia's thoughts broke off as Smee suddenly took a bite out of the cake. She moved quickly but was unable to reach them before the cake had filled in the hole in it. "Connor," she instructed, "get ready to pull. On the count of three, guys . . . One . . . " She placed her hands gently on the part of Connor's arm that was outside the cake. "Two . . . " She tightened her grip. "Three!" As Smee bit into the cake, she pulled Connor with all the strength she had.

The North Pole

"It's okay," Crystal spoke to the gathered animals as she wrapped Prue's cloak more tightly around her, all too aware that she had not thought to change into some actual clothes before coming. "He is gone now, and you can come. We must simply wait." She paused, listening to the chitterings and chatterings of chimpmunks and turned to face them. The two tiny animals were knocking each other in their heads in their desperate attempts to point out something to her. "What?" she questioned them, concern creasing her forehead. "What is it?"

Crys turned to face where they were pointing but still could not see. Slowly, the animals parted from the circle they'd made around where the portal had been mere seconds before, and Crystal's breath caught in her throat. A thousand words sprang to her mind, many of which she had learned from the Pirates who meant so much to her, but she could speak none of them aloud. Her voice froze in her throat, and her ice blue eyes went wide.

Towering trees were moving their way, their roots slamming into the snowy ground with all the force of Giant's steps, and they were not alone. Large birds circled in the sky around them, seeking prey, and wolves, bears, even a couple of deer, and many other animals and . . . creatures. Crystal's eyes shot even wilder. She knew well of Trolls, but she had thought the North Pole had been made rid of them many years ago. He must have let them back in. Trolls, Ogres, and Bigfoots, she could deal with. She could handle the trees and the angry Sprites who lived within them. She would have to handle the animals.

But why was this happening? Why were they turning against them now? "They are angry," a wolf spoke.

"Furious," a bird cried, "that he is gone."

"But why?" Crystal questioned, though she really did not expect her animal friends to have the answer. "I would think the animals and trees would be glad that he is gone and they are free!"

"Things are not always as we think they should be," an owl hooted from where he was perched on a wild reindeer's antlers.

Crystal sighed. "I have found they seldom are," she agreed. "We may have to fight while we wait for another chance to pass through the portal. No one expected this. I wish you had told us."

"We knew you would insist on fighting," a lion spoke from where he stood near Cindy. Cindy and Crystal both looked at him in surprise. He was not another mountain lion but instead had a full mane. Crys wondered how he had come to be there but knew that now was not the time for such questions.

Signaling with her hands for the animals to stay, Crystal walked out in front of them. She longed for a metal sword but knew that one of ice would have to suffice, and as she made one, she called out in a strong voice to those gathered. "Birds, keep a look-out for more coming and surprise attacks; warn us of what you see. Let's keep this circle running; the portal will probably return where it was before. Predators, on the outside. Behind them, I want those grass eaters who can defend themselves and have weapons to do so, like antlers, claws, or a skunk's tail -- "

"Hey!" one of those very skunks interjected.

Crys shrugged and glanced at the offended animal. "It's the truth," she reminded him. "I want those to make a second circle around the weaker animals."

"What can we di?"

Crystal turned at the sound of the quiet Irish brogue. Her surprise grew yet again as she took note of the tiny people both on the ground and riding on other animals. She had no idea that they, too, had been looking to go to the island, and she hoped that the Pirates would be as understanding toward them as they had been toward the animals. "Gather behind the predators and do what you can."

Crystal turned her back to her friends even as she took note of Cindy and Elvira flanking her and Blue circling over her head. She wished that they would go to the center of the circle so that they might be the first ones to reach protection, but she knew they would never leave her and that trying to get them to listen to reason would only hurt their feelings. She reached out instead to touch each in turn and stroke them all even as she yelled out. "PHILLIP, AS SOON AS WE CAN PASS, WE NEED TO! WE ARE NOT ALONE AND NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" She hoped the mirror could hear her but had no way to know if he did or not.

"I love you, guys," she called to her beloved trio, her eyes never leaving their new enemies. Each answered her in turn, and though she was touched, she refused to let the tears in her heart reach her eyes.

Crys heard Cindy growl and glanced at her only to find the lioness eyeballing the lion who had spoken earlier. He now stood beside her, and Crystal realized that several of the other predators were also moving up. "What?" she heard the lion question Cindy. "You expected us to let you fight them alone? Think again, madam. I am far too much of a gentleman to allow a lady to -- "

Crystal could not help but to grin at Cindy's answering roar and the lion's stiff reply of, "Why, I never!"

"Settle down, you two," she directed. Then throwing out her arms, Crystal began to pelt the oncomers with the biggest snowballs and hail pieces she could manage.

Somewhere

Connor fell backwards onto his butt. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Cordelia. Now if we can get Dad free, maybe we can do something about getting rid of this awful thing? I don't think I'll ever eat another piece of cake in my entire life!" he declared. He flexed his arm, trying to work the feeling back into it. It had grown quite numb while being held by the cake.

Smee breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his son, who was now free. Cordelia looked down at Connor, as well. "As soon as you get the numbness worked out, we'll pull the same maneuver on James." She only hoped it would work.

James hoped it would work and that he could get free of the cake. It had worked for Connor, yet Smee had been very close to James but would not get anywhere near James! "Come on, Smee. Come closer and bite this thing off of me. You know I'd do the same for you," James pleaded.

"It's not like I haven't been trying!" Smee exclaimed.

Cordelia folded her arms before her chest and looked sternly upon the fussing lovers. "You're both right, guys." They looked at her in surprise, and she knew that they were wondering how they could possibly both be right. "James, Smee has been trying very hard to free you both, but Smee, if we're going to get James out of this cake, you're going to have to get at least as close to him as you were to Connor. Whatever you're fussing about, it can't be worth his life!"

Smee murmured something underneath his breath, and Cordelia quirked an eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing . . . " Smee felt like calling the woman a bad name or, at least, taking an uglier tone with her, but he knew that, without her help, he never would have gotten Connor free. However, if she thought he would repeat the fact that it was worth his life, but not James', she had best think again!

"Connor," Cordelia turned her attention back to Angel's son, "how's your arm?"

"It's stinging like all heck, but at least it's beginning to get some feeling back into it. If I could, I'd bite that cake next to Dad's arm and free it, but Dad Smee is the only one who can do it and what they're fighting about . . . Well, it'd best not be talked about."

"Whatever it is," Cordelia humphed, eyeballing the two older men while walking over to Connor, "if they want to survive these trials, I suggest they put it behind them for now." Connor was rubbing his arm, and she took hold of his hand and began to massage it.

"Thanks, Cordelia. I really appreciate the help." Connor's eyes went to where Frederic was standing guard to make sure that the Zombies weren't coming back. "I wonder who they were for? Whose trial that was? Must've been Dad James 'cause they were dead crew members," he whispered to Cordelia. "I'm sure Frederic recognized them. Who's the guy you brought with you? He's one of the biggest men I've ever seen!"

Cordelia grinned at Connor. "Well, in that case, I'm certainly glad I didn't fall into that one of your father's crew. As for him," she looked toward the huge African, "I believe his name's Bishop." She tried calling the name aloud.

Somewhere

Screams surrounded him on all sides, and it took Hansel a moment to realize that they were all four screaming. His hands flailed, trying in desperation, to grab hold to something, but he could not find anything to grab. Then, suddenly, something reached out from the wall of the mountain and grabbed him. It clicked around his wrist and held tightly to him even as three other somethings left the side of the mountain and snapped around his ankles and other wrist. "Oh shit," he mumbled. "This can't be good."

Dawson had been trying to catch Faith when they had fallen through. Instead, he was snatched in mid air by something that encircled his wrists and his ankles. He struggled to get free, but the more he struggled, the tighter their hold on him was. "LET GO OF ME!" he yelled. "I HAVE TO GET TO FAITH!"

Chong, too, tried desperately to reach Faith and managed to get about half way down, his fingers grazing Faith's skin just before he, too, was snatched. He fought against what was holding his wrists and his ankles only to discover that, the more he fought, the tighter they held him. The chains bit deeply into his wrists, but he continued to struggle to no avail. He could no longer see Faith.

The others had stopped screaming now and were only yelling angrily. Faith's scream seemed to be going further and echoing up around them. Hansel struggled against his binds but was unable to break free and, for the first time in a long time, had absolutely no pick. He cursed a blue streak before finally yelling out for Faith. "FAITH! CAN YOU HEAR US?! ARE YOU OKAY?! COME ON, LITTLE BITCHY, ANSWER US!" But no answer came . . .

"FAITH!" Dawson screamed, dread filling his heart. She did not answer him either.

Somewhere

Bishop looked up where Cordelia was calling him from. "Can I do anything for you, Miss Cordelia?" he called. "We're kinda watching right now, making sure that the Zombies aren't returning. The salt did the trick. We've still got some in case they decide to return."

Cordelia had heard the term Zombies in reference to the ugly Pirates several times now, but she was determined not to dwell on it. "Leave the salt with Frederic. He can watch for their return and call if help is needed. You come over here and help us get James free. With your strength, you should be able to pull him free rather quickly. Connor," she instructed as she headed back over toward James, "keep working on your arm, and Smee," she called to him where he was refusing to face them, "like it or not, it's time."

Bishop walked over and slid his arms around James. He had him in a firm grip, and he looked expectantly at Smee. "Well?" he asked him when the little man seemed very hesitant about the biting.

Smee headed over to the trio as reluctantly as though he was a pup with his tail tucked between his legs. Cordelia watched him with a stern expression but did not enlighten Bishop as to their predicament. Smee glanced at James but quickly turned his eyes to the cake. He took the largest bite he'd taken yet.

"PULL!" Cordelia shouted just as Smee bit down. She had planned on helping to pull James free, but Bishop's bulk had not left her any room. Still, with his strength, hers should not be needed, she told herself.

James came free and staggered backward into Bishop. He was glad some one had caught him. He was tired of landing on his butt. "Now how do we get rid of the damn thing?" he asked Cordelia. "Do you think we could feed it to the crocs?"

"Why should I have all the answers?!" Cordelia exclaimed. She had not even considered how they could get rid of the cake and had instead been too busy coming up with a plan to free Connor and James.

With its mouth free, the cake was again chomping at the bit, and Smee yelled as he saw it begin to bounce up and down. "EVERYBODY, MOVE!" Desperate to save the man he loved, he pushed James ahead of him even as Cordelia raced to help Connor.

"WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T HIT IT!" Cordy yelled to Bishop, knowing that that would be his first instinct. She snatched up her rapier as she raced toward Connor.

Somewhere

It was some time later that Jack opened his eyes. He did not know how long he had been out, but he did remember the last thing that was in his face and that that was Anamaria. He realized that something very heavy was laying on top of it. He pushed it and found that it was very firm but not easy to push. He managed to roll out from under it, and, getting to his feet, he looked down to see what it was. He screamed for, there at his feet, lay his beloved Will, dead. Jack screamed again even as he knelt beside Will. Will's body was cold to the touch. He knew not how long Will had been dead, but a smell came from his body. It hit Jack's nose and made him sick, and he turned his head away to retch. He had to bury Will, and then he vowed he'd find who killed him. He got back to his feet and then saw that there were other bodies strewn all around. Nothing lived in this place. He thought he must have died and gone to Hell. He remembered the Demons' laughing words, "Welcome to the party," and he knew now what party they were talking about. They had been the ones who had killed his family. Tears streamed down his face as he walked to each body and turned them over so that he could see their face. The last two he forced himself to turn over turned out to be Phoebe and Joxer. They were locked in a lovers' embrace, holding tightly to each other even in death. He returned to Will and gathered his poor, dead love in his arms. His tears fell down like rain as his heart broke in a million pieces. It was his family. Every one who meant anything to him, destroyed by his enemy. He would bury them first, and then he'd hunt down the ones who had done this. They would die a most horrible death, he vowed. He gave himself up to his loss and wept uncontrollably, still clinging to Will.

Somewhere

"If we could get it to go toward the crocs, maybe we could just push it off?" James asked hopefully. "And I don't expect it to have all the answers, Miss Cordelia, but so far, everything you've come up with has worked!"

Connor asked, "Do you think salt might have an effect on it?"

"I don't know," Frederic said, coming up with a handful of salt, "but it's worth a try!" He threw the salt straight at the cake. It sprinkled out over the cake's surface, and they waited to see, what effect, if any it would have. They did not have long to wait, however, as the cake almost immediately jumped toward them again.

"There's not enough room to go around it without getting caught, so we can't lead it to the crocodiles that way! Maybe if we can find something big enough to knock it off with?" Cordelia suggested as she ran from the cake between Connor and James.

Bishop shook his head. He still could scarce believe what he was seeing and, if some one had told him about it, he'd call them a bold-faced liar, but the truth was standing in his face!

The salt seemed to have had no effect at all upon the cake. That dashed Frederic's high hopes, and he looked around to find something that he could knock the cake with. It was Connor who finally spied the limb and Bishop who broke it off. They began to use it to push at the cake in an attempt to get it to go in the direction they wanted it to. The guys were just beginning to think that they were making progress when the cake suddenly moved more swiftly again. Its mouth closed around the limb, and it began to eat it even as they poked at it with it.

"LET GO OF IT!" Smee screamed. "IT'LL EAT YOU TOO!"

"WE'LL HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE!" Cordelia reasoned. "Something heavy enough to knock it off, not just push it off."

Bishop looked around, and a new thought occurred to him. Throw something at the cake, not push. Throw it and see if they could knock it off its feet. Maybe they could roll it over the cliff? There were some big boulders laying out by themselves where they had fallen from a rockslide in the past. Bishop walked over, heaved one, and yelled, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Startled eyes were turned his way as James grabbed Connor, Frederic grabbed Smee and then reached out for Cordelia. They barely managed to get out of the way before Bishop threw it. His aim was off just a little as it landed at the middle of the cake, causing it to squat. Bishop reached for another and rolled it at the cake as though it were a nine pins ball. He continued to pelt the cake with the rocks, each rock bouncing the cake a little further. He'd walk up, pick up the rock that he had just thrown, and throw it again. He continued to pelt the cake until it fell over the cliff backwards and fell amongst the crocodiles. Bishop gazed downward. The sight disgusted him. Some of the crocs were eating the cake, but the cake was also eating some of the crocs. He shook his head in disgust, and walked away without uttering a word. He knew that he'd remember that awful sight until his dying day and swore that he'd never eat cake again.

James didn't want to know so he did not go near the cliff edge, but Connor and Frederic headed for the edge and were about to look downward when they heard Cordelia fussing at them. "Both of you boys, come away from there this instant! If Bishop doesn't even like the looks of it, there's no way your fathers want you looking at it! Get back over here now!"

"That's right!" Smee agreed, shivering inwardly at the sounds of all the roaring, growling, and thrashing that was going on down below. "You two, get back over here this minute before something happens to you!"

James looked at his boys. "You don't need to see that. It'll give you nightmares." He moved around behind them, keeping the boys between him and Smee. He would not let them out of his sight. This land was filled with too many dangers, and they all seemed to be seeking them out. "We've got to find a way out of this miserable Hellhole," he told his family. "Stay close. We must get away from here!" The sounds of smacking and growling filled his head, and he trembled, thankful that it was not him that they were eating.

To Be Continued, Never More

Author's Note: Aye, that's right. We're not going to be continuing this book. We'd written these last five chapters about two months ago right before Jack up and ran off on me. After finally tracking him down and getting to the bottom of matters, I was shocked to find out the Book was the problem. I knew he'd been having nightmares from this and the 3rd book but had no idea that they were getting as bad as they got. This book is over; we'll write no more on it. We will, however, try to continue the series with a fifth book and answer all questions as best we can. This is Will signing off on this book as Jack has yet to touch another quill, let alone a keyboard.