_Title:_ Love on the High Seas #1: "Bright Promises of Tomorrow"
_Authors:_ Pirates Sparrow and Turner
_E-mail:_ OrliDepp@...
_Rating:_ NC-17
_Feedback:_ Yes, please!! Seriously, we, like all other fan fic writers,
thrive on feedback. We also tend to only stick to the places where we know
we are being read and enjoyed from the reviews we receive. However, flames
absolutely will not be tolerated.
_Archive:_ Absolutely *ONLY* if you request permission and receive our
granting to do so. It'll probably be a yes, but it depends on the archive
and the person runnign it.
_Warnings:_ Abuse, Death, Lemon, Religious Prejudice, Rape, Sex, Torture,
Violence
_Fandoms/Characters/Pairings:_ (Angel/BtVS) A/C, Fresley, Faith, Lorne,
Dawn; (Charmed) C/Pi, Prue, Phoebe, Paige, Kit; (Dawson's Creek) Dawson;
(Disney) Jack Sparrow/Will Turner; (Elvira) Elvira, Gonk; (Labyrinth)
Jareth and company; (PotC) Jack/Will, Elizabeth; (Sabrina) Salem; (Shrek)
Donkey; (Smallville) Clex; (SU2) Carl; (10K) Wolf; (X-Men) RoLo and Morph;
(Xena) Aphrodite, Xena/Gabby, Joxer, and Autolycus. Sooner or later,
there's a pairing for every character, but if they're not listed it here,
the pairing will be with either a character from a different fandom or an
original character.
_Summary:_ Familiar and new faces come together as the Pirates of The
Black Pearl and The Sea Witch in this crossover series including Angel,
BtVS, Charmed, Dawson's Creek, Disney, Elvira, Labyrinth, Pirates of the
Caribbean, Sabrina (Salem only), Shrek, Smallville, Special Unit 2, 10th
Kingdom, X-Men, Xena, and cameos from many others. In the first book,
Bright Promises of Tomorrow, the crews arrive expecting to celebrate Will
Turner and Elizabeth Swann's wedding but discover that Governor Swann has
stooped to new lows and will stop at nothing, not even selling Will into
the city's newly-created black market, to keep his daughter from marrying
a Pirate. Governor Swann has not, however, taken into consideration Jack's
love for Will and his unrelenting willingness to do anything to save his
beloved.
Meanwhile, Port Royal's townspeople have risen into an angry, prejudiced
mob set to burn the Witches. Will the Pirates be able to stop the
townspeople in time, or will the Witches, including a family by the last
name of Halliwell, Ororo Munroe, and Scientist Winifred Burkle, meet their
deaths? Also, Faith falls, Angel has his first encounter with Princess
Cordelia, Lorne gets bitten in the rear and may well lose his heart in the
process, and snow heralds the arrival of even more danger!
_Disclaimer:_ All established characters; all TV show, comic, and movie
titles; and the Black Pearl are © & TM their respective owners and are
used without permission. Crystal "Snowflake" Frost, Katrina "Firestar"
Lewis, Celina "Pantheria" Lewis, Tom Ballard, Meesy, Brendan Richards; and
all other original characters are © & TM Pirates Sparrow and Turner, are
used with their permission, and may not be used without permission. The
Sea Witch and everything else are also © & TM the authors. No copyright
infringement is intended, and no monetary profit is made from these tales.

_Chapter Thirty-one_
Ororo tried not to let the stench get to her as she flew over the
bog, her blue eyes unable to believe what her lightning bolts
illuminated. She had never seen anything like this bog before and
had trouble believing that it was only that. After all, what bog
was filled with dung that farted constantly up at her?

Hoggle tried to see anything but lightning bolts, but he couldn't.
Some one was coming to rescue him! At last, he would get out of
there! Jareth had put him in there so long ago that Hoggle could
no longer remember exactly when it had happened, and he had simply
forgotten about him except for the daily buzzard dropping of food.
Hoggle wanted out of the Bog more than he had ever wanted anything
else! He yearned for the daylight!

He had been unable to help the deceit that had gotten him thrown
into the Bog. He had been caught between a rock and a hard place
and had had to either work with Helvira or be eaten. He had tried
to explain that to Jareth, who had refused to listen and had
instead just tossed him in. Hoggle had clung to the tree he had
managed to land on; he had sat on the limb the entire time, never
getting down to the point that the Bog could get on him. Yet,
after all that time, the Bog was still the only thing he could
smell. He had not even been able to sleep well for fear that he
would fall off of the limb.

He had given up calling Jareth a long time ago. Jareth didn't
care; he never had. Hoggle knew that Jareth would leave him
dangling there until he had need of him again. He had done it
before in the past but never for such a long time. It would have
done him no good to call Delvira, either, for she simply would
have lobbed fireballs at him until he had fallen out of the tree.
But rescue, at last, was at hand! Some other unhappy travelers had
fallen into Jareth's trap, and even though he could not get out of
the Bog, it would feel great to get other people around him and a
steadier surface under his feet.

He was surprised to see a flying woman coming at him. "Who are
you?" he asked. "And thanks for saving me!"

Ororo turned toward the voice that called to her and was relieved
to see the little man who had been screaming for help. "Thank
Goddess I finally found you!" she exclaimed. "I had begun to fear
that thing had swallowed you. My name is Ororo Munroe. You are
quite welcome, but I must warn you. We will not return to the ship
by a normal manner." She hovered in front of him as she explained,
"The winds will carry us." She reached a hand out toward the
strange, little man as she added, "You may hold to my hand if you
wish."

"Will that make me fly too?" he questioned. The first smile that
he had worn in years spread over his face as he thought of being
able to fly. "Cool!" He eagerly lifted his hand toward her.

She took his hand gently in her own, then gestured at him with her
free hand. Breezes slowly lifted him into the air. She gave him a
chance to show any fear, but when he did not, she increased their
speed on the journey back to the ship. They were nearly to the
Pearl when she saw it begin to shimmer. "Goddess! What now?!"

Hoggle screeched, "WE HAVE TO GET ON THE SHIP OR WE'LL BE LEFT
BEHIND!"

"HOLD TIGHTLY!" Ororo called to him in warning. The winds whipped
around them and shot them onto the ship. For a change, her landing
was not graceful as they fell together in a tumbling heap. No
sooner had they fallen onto the deck than the stench vanished.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ship surged, and Jack almost lost his footing. If it had not
been for Carl's unconscious weight on his foot, he would have lost
it completely. He looked around and found that they appeared to be
back in their own world. He didn't know if it was later than they
had left or earlier; time was of no consequence. The being who had
done this to them still had not put in an appearance. He breathed
deeply of the fresh air and glanced back at Will. "Are you okay?"

Will nodded though his worried eyes continued to flick around. He
would have asked Jack but knew that, even if he was not, he would
have still told him he was fine as long as they were not alone. "I
wonder what's next?"

"I wonder where the scoundrel is," Jack replied. "I want to know
why he did it to us in the first place. As far as I am aware, I
have never crossed paths with him nor have I done anything to
anger him."

As Will listened to Jack, he put out the torch he held but
remained at the ready, the Governor's sword still held tightly in
his grip.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lex put out the torch. "We'd best see if Jack's got any clue as to
what's going on." He looked worriedly back at the door where his
family slept. {I won't be gone long,} he promised silently. He
began walking toward Jack.

Faith had nodded when Lex had called to her and swiftly caught up
with him. "Just remember, Luthor," she whispered to him, her voice
and eyes hard and angry again as they neared the others, "if you
tell any one -- "

"I know; I know," Lex put in. "You'll cut my throat. Just *you*
remember not to tell any one yourself." He pretended to be hard on
the outside again, too. It wouldn't do for them to think that a
Luthor ever got soft.

She gave him a quick, curt nod. "You know I don't talk to
anybody." {Except you.} Glancing down at Salem, she realized that
she had to add, {And him.}



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All around both ships, the sleepers were beginning to wake up as
the gentle ocean breeze brushed over them, assailing their
nostrils with the sweet aroma of the sea. Cole stirred slightly.
Realizing he had a soft, cushiony pillow for his head, he didn't
move at first. Some one's arms were around him, and it felt good.
He recognized Piper's scent. He heard some one move and turned to
watch as Prue took the food out of the oven. He hoped it didn't
smell like where they had just come from.

He moved his head slightly so that he could watch Piper. She had
fallen asleep. He thought she had never looked more beautiful and
moved his head just enough that he could kiss her at the base of
her throat. "Wake up, beautiful," he whispered. "I think our
nightmare is over."

Piper stirred to slowly and was surprised to hear Cole calling to
her. Her worried eyes flew open at the realization that he was
conscious again. "C-Cole? Are you okay?"

"No," he breathed in response. "I'm even better than okay; I'm in
Heaven! What a wonderful place to wake up!" He gazed adoringly at
her beauty; a brilliant smile sparkled on his face. "Thanks for
holding me." He couldn't remember a time when he had ever been
held like that; waking up that way had been very peaceful.

She could not help the blush that tinged her cheeks any more than
she could stop her hand from lifting to gently cup his handsome
face. "I was worried," she admitted, gazing up at him in deep
concern. "You just showed up and fell out. I didn't know what had
happened, and I was so scared that something had . . . hurt you .
. . "

"I don't know what happened. I just know that I woke up in
Heaven." He caressed her cheek, his hand moving slowly down her
throat. He wished that he could replace his hand with his lips but
didn't dare.

Shivers of delight shot through her at his touch. They grew as his
hand moved slowly down her throat, shooting from his fingertips
all the way throughout her body. She had never felt such and
reveled in the emotions he evoked. "I'm just thankful you're
okay," she whispered, her own hand caressing his cheek.

He looked intently down into her eyes. "May a frog have permission
to kiss a Princess?" he asked.

She looked at him in confusion as it took her a moment to realize
what he was meaning. "Cole, you're not a -- " The realization of
the Princess' identity froze her words in her throat. A slow,
gentle smile spread over her face as she found herself whispering,
"Yes."

His lips sought hers gently at first, and he held her even closer
to him. He forgot about the world around them as the only thing
that meant anything to him was the kiss. He did not give her
everything he had, because he did not want to frighten her. He
pledged himself to her with that kiss, as gentle as a butterfly's
wings with a promise of heat to come.

She returned his kiss in full even as his touch and the passion
that engulfed them both melted her very bones. Her hand slid up
his face, caressing his tanned skin, and her fingers gently curled
into his dark hair. Her lips parted under his, requesting and
welcoming more.

Part of him wanted to take her and shimmer to a secluded spot so
that they could have more time together. The other part of him
felt eyes looking at them; they made him come back to his senses.
He lifted his head only to see that their audience was Prue, who
was standing and staring at them with a huge grin on her face. His
attention returned to Piper. "Later, sweetheart; I promise to
return. I'm going to court you, Piper Halliwell, before we burn
the ship down." He shimmered out with an even bigger smile on his
face.

Piper's breath released in a fluttering sigh full of love, lust,
and longing. She wished he had not left but understood why he had
to. She had not seen Prue and had completely forgotten about the
others but knew that, if he had stayed, they would have became
involved in a very scandalous activity indeed.

Prue walked over, leaned down, and gave her hand to her sister.
"How was it, sweetheart?" she asked.

Piper looked up at her older sister in a daze. She lifted a hand
to take Prue's but missed it at first. She tried again, and Prue's
hand caught her own. "Oh. My. *Gods!*" Piper breathed. "I've never
felt anything . . . never . . . never even *dreamed* anything
could be that . . . that *wonderful* . . . !"

Prue smiled at her sister as she pulled her to her feet. "I felt
the same way when I touched Brendan and again when I kissed him.
Aren't we the lucky ones?" Although Prue had had experience in the
past, nothing had ever prepared her for what she had felt when
Brendan had touched her. They simply had to be off the ship when
they went through with the action or there would be nothing left
of it but cinders!

Piper was still so dazed that she could only sigh in response. It
was then that the memory of the food hit her. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Prue asked.

"The food!" Piper exclaimed, turning from her sister and starting
to rush to the oven. She stopped in her tracks, however, as she
saw that it was already sitting out on the nearby counters.
"Thanks," she told Prue with a relieved grin as she looked back at
her sister.

"Couldn't let all that scrumptious stuff go to waste even if I
couldn't smell it while it was cooking," Prue said. "It smelled
wonderful when I took it out; I just hope it doesn't have a stinky
taste to it! I have never smelled anything so awful!"

"It shouldn't," Piper started. "I wouldn't think the smell would
effect the taste, but then again, with that stuff, who knows? I
wonder what that thing was any way."

"I don't know, but I think the Captains took care of it."

"Thank Gods!"



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, bubbles began to appear out of nowhere. They drifted
around the Pearl, hovering above every conceivable exposed
surface. It was then that Wolverine woke up and looked around.
"Where the heck did all these fairy bubbles come from?" he asked.
He reached out to help Donkey get to his hooves.

Donkey stood with his head held low, not daring to move as his
wide eyes stared at the bubbles. "Huh?" he asked.

Before any one could move, react, or even answer Wolverine, a
screech was heard, and a magnificent white owl swooped in to land
on the quarter deck. A glimmering light surrounded him, and as
blackness whirled around the owl, Hoggle and Carl, who had just
awoken, screamed. Carl took a flying leap behind Jack and Will
even as his cousin dodged behind Ororo.

Where the black swirl ceased, a man with spiky, blonde hair
dressed in tight, black leather appeared. He seemed to glitter as
he peered down at them. He had barely began to gaze imperiously at
the crew before him when he felt some one trying to break past his
defenses. His stern eyes moved to a blonde woman. "You shall not
try your little ice tricks on me," he informed her even as he
flicked his hand toward Crystal. She vanished instantly.

Jack stepped forward. "Who are you, and what do you want with us?"
He felt some one move beside him and, out of the corner of his
eye, saw Faith. She had slipped her dagger from her boot. His eyes
quickly returned to the man, and he let no sign of what he had
seen appear on his face.

Faith had moved Salem to one arm again, and she swiftly threw her
dagger with perfect aim straight for the blonde man's heart. He
flicked his wrist toward the dagger, and it flew backwards. Faith
tried to move but felt as though she had been paralyzed as the
dagger closed in on her throat. She expected her blade to meet her
own neck, but at the last moment, the dagger transformed into a
snake. She finally found herself able to move again as it wrapped
around her throat. She dropped Salem to the deck and tried to tear
the snake from her, but its strength was greater than her own. Its
coils tightened around her throat, cutting off her air. The only
sign of her fear was her wild eyes as she continued trying to free
herself.

Seeing that Faith was having no luck with the snake, Lex leapt
forward and began to tear at the thing that was choking Faith.
Finally managing to get it a loose, he threw it away from them
only to have it become all fluff and feathers and let go with a
string of unintelligible words. A goblin scurried away and back
toward Jareth.

Faith had nearly passed out and started to sway, but Lex caught
her quickly. She shook her head, forcing herself back, but
dizziness still clouded her thoughts. Lex's coat hid his hand
tightening on her arm. He knew she did not want to rely on him but
also knew that she would hit the deck if he released her. Faith
gave him a brief second as she was still struggling to catch her
breath but then ripped away from him.

It was at that moment that the bubbles descended to the ship, each
one releasing a goblin. Every crew member stood frozen to the
deck, staring at Jareth. What would be the next move? Who would
live, and who would die?

Jareth's lips curled upwards into a slow, sly smile, but there was
no warmth in his expression. His hard gaze returned to Jack. "My
name is Jareth, and I am their King. You will stand and listen
without any further attack or I will release them."

"What do you want?" Jack repeated. He did not take his eyes off of
the man.

"I already have what I want."

Jack's mind immediately went to: He had the ships! What he wanted
them for he hadn't a clue. He also didn't have a clue as to how to
fight him. "And what is that?" Jack asked aloud.

Like the others around her, Ororo, too, stood rooted to the spot.
Unlike them, however, she knew that she was not defenseless. She
watched Jareth with calm eyes that showed no hint of her thoughts
even as her mind reached out to the elements. A lightning bolt
shot at Jareth, but he waved it away as though it was nothing but
a pesky fly. He then waved his hand at her, and she felt herself
picked up and thrown back into Wolverine.

Hoggle had been hiding behind her. The very moment that his cover
was lifted, he screamed in fear and ran around until he was able
to join his cousin behind Jack and Will.

Jareth looked at Jack. "Call your people down," he instructed him.
"I will not give you another warning."

Jack called back to his crew. "Do not fight! We must see what he
wants! We do not want to fight goblins!" He hated to tell them not
to fight for his every instinct cried out for attack. However, he
would not do something stupid to get the others killed.

Jareth's intent gaze swept the ship as he made certain that every
one of them was going to obey their Captain. He watched a short
man with wild hair helping the Weather Witch to get to her feet
and saw the raven-haired girl who had attempted to throw her
dagger into his heart stoop beside a black cat who was stirring
slowly to consciousness. The others stood as still as statues, and
Jareth's eyes finally returned to Jack.

"There seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding," he began.
His voice trailed off momentarily as he was suddenly joined by two
women flanking him on either side. They wore the same dress and
appeared exactly alike. Both had pale skin; long, ebony hair; and
black eyes that peered down at the crew. One clung to Jareth with
an arm linked over his shoulders and a leg hiked against him. The
other worriedly scanned the group.

Jack almost passed out right on the spot! Not only had Helvira
taken over the ship with no fight, but she had cloned herself! His
mind flashed back to a few minutes before they had been returned
to their own world; it had been then that he had gone to the
storage cabinet behind the steering wheel, retrieved his jacket
that still contained Helvira's heart, and thrown both overboard
into the Bog of Eternal Stench. He was thankful that he had done
that for at least she would not regain her heart easily.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wolf's eyes flashed open, and it was only then that he found out
that he had fallen on Brendan, knocking him out. He helped his
friend to his feet. "Wolf!" He heard Elvira call his name and
turned to look in the direction that her voice came from even as
relief that she lived flooded him. He gazed in puzzlement at all
the crew members standing frozen in spot, but one look at Jack's
face told him that, whereas the others were only scared, Jack was
petrified.

It then dawned on him why: Jack thought Elvira was Helvira. It was
his own fault. He should have introduced Jack to his woman and
told him that she had a sister. It had not dawned on him at the
time that her sister might be and had turned out to be Helvira. He
ran toward Elvira without a second thought.

"Stop, Wolf!" Jack called out urgently. "He will think you are
attacking and unleash his minions!"

Wolf stared at the goblins in puzzlement. What kind of trick was
this? He knew that it was Elvira. Why would she bring goblins to
attack his people? Then his eyes were drawn to the man on the
quarterdeck and the woman draped all over him. {Oh my Gods!} he
thought. {It's Helvira!} Why hadn't Elvira told him that her
sister was identical and that, worst of all, she was Helvira? He
stopped beside Jack. "It's a good day to die," he whispered.

"Don't want to," Jack answered, "but if I have to, I will. Protect
Will."

Brendan had nearly had to drag himself to Jack's side. He could
not tear his eyes away from the two Helviras, and fear clouded his
thoughts and nearly choked him. He heard Jack but could not even
find his voice to reassure his dearest friend. Instead, he only
continued to stare at the women and man and let out a frightened
yelp when one of the women jumped down at them.

Jareth's hand was still pointed at Wolf when Elvira leapt off of
the quarterdeck. "Jareth, if you hurt him, I'll kill you!" She
raced to Wolf's side and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

Wolf had not realized that he was still naked, but despite the
danger, he felt his sword come to life and poke at her through her
dress. This was definitely his Elvira, but her sister was Helvira!
They were all going to die! "H-How could you not tell me?" he
asked her. "She's Jack's deadliest enemy! He fought her today! He
took her heart!" His voice was breaking. "She's going to kill us
now!"

Jack stared at Wolf in astonishment. How could he be playing with
Helvira? Had he betrayed his Captain? Wolf would never do that,
Jack decided. She had cast a spell on him. His hand eased to his
sword, ready for the fight, but he snatched his hand back with an
oath when what he thought was his sword bit him. He looked
downward and shook the thing off of his hand. Damn goblins! Where
was his sword?! He had to protect Will!

"Looking for this?" Jareth's calm voice asked him as he twirled
Jack's sword in the air.

Jack knew the fight was over before it had ever began. There was
no way to fight the goblins, let alone their King! "What do you
want?" he asked him again.

"I told you," Jareth reminded him, "I already have what I want."

It was then that the other Helvira leaned closer to him and
whispered something in his ear. He looked at her. "Not now,
Delvira. I'm trying to . . . " At her stern look, he sighed,
shrugged, and handed her the sword. Taking off his cape, he tossed
it down at Wolf. "Cover yourself."

Wolf snatched the cape out of the air and wrapped it around him,
tying it in the front. {What does it matter,} he thought, {if I'm
covered when I'm going to die? We can't even fight the things when
they change our very swords to themselves!} His mind searched for
a way that he could protect not just Will but the Captain, as
well.

Xena had been staring the whole time at Jareth. Her eyes were
angry, but she did not make a move for she knew their people would
die if she did. How had this happened? How had they snuck up on
them and defeated them without a single blow? She glanced at
Elvira and knew that they had just rescued her that day. She was
draped all over Wolf now and seemed oblivious to the danger. How
could it be possible? Was the girl daft? She had led the enemy
into their midst and caused this! If Xena lived through the
battle, she would take Elvira on one to one. If the girl was
innocent, she'd live; if she wasn't, she was so dead!

"Now," Jareth's voice carried over them, "if you will all calm
yourselves, I might have a chance to explain our
misunderstanding." He stared at each of them and, finding them all
silent and still, was about to speak again when a familiar voice
reached his ears.

"Jareth, you sly son-of-a-bitch! You caused all of this?" Faith
gasped and tried to cover Salem's mouth but was not in time.

Jareth looked at the two, and his smile shifted slightly. "Well, I
never would have thought you'd deign such a meager vessel with
your presence, Salem!"

Jack looked from Salem to Jareth. Did they know each other? Just
what was going on here? He didn't say anything but continued
looking for an opportunity.

"What are you doing picking on them, any way?" Salem questioned
him. "Were you after me?" He prayed that that was not the case.

"After you?" Jareth repeated puzzledly. "Why on Earth would you
think that, old friend?"

"Old *friend*?!" Salem spat, biting at Faith's fingers when she
again attempted to cover his mouth. "You tried to *kill* me the
last time we were together!"

"I did no such thing," Jareth thundered, "and I only sent your
little group to the Bog because we mistakenly thought Elvira was
on here without her consent!"

"You always were full of it!"

"Watch that tongue of yours, Salem," Jareth warned. "I do not want
to have to return you to the Bog, but I will if I must!"

Salem hushed instantly, and Faith breathed a silent sigh of
relief. She had thought that he had finally came to his senses but
had to bite her own tongue to keep from screaming in frustration
when he spoke again. "Did you or did you not try to kill me
immediately following the trial?"

"What are you talking about?" Jareth questioned him. "I was thrown
into the labyrinth as soon as I was sentenced! This is the first
time I've seen you since my own trial!" Salem's questioning eyes
met Jareth's. "I swear on our code."

Before Faith could even react, Salem raced from her arms where she
had finally managed to still him and took a flying leap onto the
quarterdeck. He sat beside Jareth and lifted a paw up to him.
Jareth raised a hand, and Salem lifted into the air. Only when
they were eye to eye did Jareth accept Salem's paw and give it a
tiny shake.

Faith could stay silent no more. "Just what the fuck is going on
here?!"

"As I told Salem," Jareth explained to the others, cuddling Salem
in one arm, "this entire situation has been a misunderstanding. We
tried to reach Port Royal in time but did not succeed in doing so.
When we realized that Elvira was on your ship, we thought it was
against her will." Delvira elbowed him, and he turned to look at
her even as he muttered, "There is no way . . ."

"Jareth," she whispered to him, "*sweetheart*, a good King knows
when to swallow his pride and apologize."

His furious glare cut through her. "I am not about to -- "

"Fine, then," she shot back with a knowing grin tugging at her
black lips, "you just won't get your pants popped again any time
soon -- *or* what comes afterward."

A low growl ushered forth from him at her, but he silenced
himself, sighed deeply, and turned his attention back to the crew.
"I must . . . ap-apo-apo-apolo-"

"Apologize," Delvira put in for him.

He nodded. "That and thank you for saving my sister-in-law."

Jack's hands itched for his sword. He wasn't sure what was going
on, but he needed the comforting feeling of it. He could feel Will
at his side but yet he had not said anything. Did he have his
sword? Jack wanted it. He needed a weapon. Any kind would do!

He was surprised when his own weapon came floating back to hover
in the air just before him. This could not be happening! It was
just another strange event in an even stranger day! he told
himself even as his hands sneaked out and grabbed the weapon. "We
accept your apology, Your Majesty, but I want to know why you have
brought Helvira aboard my ship."

"*Helvira?!*" Jareth, Delvira, and Elvira all cried in unison.
"*Where?!*" Their eyes roamed their surroundings frantically for
any sign of the bitch.

"Is your woman not Helvira?"

Jareth looked questioningly at Delvira. "You didn't change on me,
did you?" he whispered to her.

"If I had, would we be standing here?" she shot back.

Jack sheathed his sword. "How can there be three of them?" he
asked Jareth. "Your woman's not her. Wolf's woman's not her. Where
is she?!" His eyes glanced around. If there were two, there could
be three!

"Gods, I pray she isn't anywhere near here!" Jareth exclaimed
truthfully before he could stop himself.

Delvira patted his arm reassuringly. "My name is Delvira," she
began to explain to Jack and the others, "and I am Jareth's wife.
My sister," she nodded to Elvira who was still snuggled securely
in Wolf's arms, "is Elvira. We hate Helvira as much as you appear
to."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Gods she's not here! I
thought she had found us!"

Jareth had noticed Jack sheathe his sword and breathed a silent
sigh of relief at the realization that he would not have to do any
further harm to his sister-in-law's new friends. He waved his
hands in the air, and his goblins scurried away, vanishing from
sight and returning to their own ship that now appeared in front
of the Pearl. With Delvira in one arm and Salem in the other, he
hopped down to stand before Jack. "There are three of them," he
told them, "and each appears and smells exactly identical to the
others. They can even act so closely together that no one can tell
them apart."

Jack looked at him. "I did not know your sister-in-law was
identical to Helvira. I fought with Helvira earlier today, and I
took her heart. *If*," he looked angrily at Wolf, "some one had
bothered to tell me, some of this could have been avoided!"

Wolf looked everywhere but at Jack. "Sorry, Captain," he finally
muttered. "I didn't think."

Elvira jumped to his defense. "I didn't tell him. How was he
supposed to know?!"

Jack's gaze turned to Elvira. "It would have been nice if you had
told us. Your sister and I are great enemies. She would like
nothing better than to kill the members of my crew, make me watch,
and then destroy me." He had not said "kill me", because he
figured she'd keep him alive and torture him.

Elvira's mouth flew open, but before she could say anything,
Delvira, who was eyeing Brendan questioningly, interrupted her.
"You look familiar," she told him.

"I was . . . I was held captive by Helvira for a -- "

"You were the boy, weren't you?" Delvira's eyes moistened. "I saw
you when I fought her once, but I never had the chance to get near
you. I would have saved you had I been able to, but I barely
escaped with my life. In fact, I wouldn't have even managed that
had she not let me."

"Let you?" Jack repeated in surprise.

Delvira nodded. "Helvira has been a constant threat to us for
nearly our entire lives. She enjoys playing with us and lets us
live so that she can do so again later."

"That's why I didn't say anything," Elvira put in. "She has this
nasty habit of popping into our lives just when they start getting
better and screwing everything up." Her sad eyes would not meet
any one's gaze, not even Wolf's concerned expression. "Besides,"
she argued, "how the Hell was I supposed to know that you guys
even knew the bitch?"

"I have fought her twice," Jack said. "Both times I thought I
killed her. I took her heart this time. I hope she died, but I
doubt it. I fear that she will come after it."

"She will," Jareth put in warningly.

"She won't find it aboard either ship. I left it in the Bog."

"A good place for it," Jareth agreed thoughtfully, "but she will
retrieve it sooner or later. At least, though, we should be able
to smell her coming from then on."

Jack looked questioningly at him. "What can we do about getting
that stench off of our ships? Will it wash off?"

"Well, normally, it stays on its victims for the rest of
eternity." Delvira elbowed him. "But, in this case, I can make an
exception. Tell your crews to grab hold to something," he warned
Jack.

Jack called out, "Every one, grab on to something! It's going to
be a bumpy ride!" No sooner were the words out of his mouth than
he felt four small hands grab him. He looked down to see the Gnome
and Dwarf holding on tightly to him. He grabbed the railing just
as the ships were lifted.

Jareth raised his hands, and the ships lifted into the sky. "Hold
tightly!" Delvira called to them in warning. "You've never gotten
a bumpy ride quite like this one!" She clung to her husband, and
even he reached out a gloved hand to grip the railing. He was
already muttering strange words underneath his breath, and it was
at that time that the ships began to glow with a sparkling light
and spin as fast as lightning.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lorne had barely been waking when Crys had fallen out of thin air
on top of him. "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked. "Where did you
come from?"

"That bastard!" she fumed. "He won't get away with this!"

"Huh?" Angel asked. "Who?"

"Jareth! He's the one who knocked you and my babies and Lorne . .
. " Her babbling stopped suddenly as she found herself gazing down
into Lorne's eyes.

"Let me up, darling. Let's go check on the others and see just how
bad this Jareth has harmed us." He had been about to get to his
feet when he felt the ship come out from under him and laid
quickly back down.

Angel felt like he was pinned to the floor as he felt the ship
begin to spin madly around. "What the Hell?!" he asked. He
watched, unable to reach to Prue to help her, as she fell to the
floor, her feet knocked out from under her.

Growls echoed in the room as Cindy and Elvira found themselves
being slid from one part of the galley to another. Of the three
animals only Blue managed to still himself by digging his talons
into the door. Piper was barely managing to grip the table hard
enough to keep from falling when something knocked her feet out
from under her. She fell with a surprised squeal and found herself
suddenly on top of the lioness. She stared at her but did not dare
to move.

Prue lay on the floor where she had been thrown, trying to catch
her breath. What the Hell was going on?! she wondered. It felt for
all the world like they were in a tornado!

Piper's eyes tore away from Cindy's as she heard the dishes
rattling. "No!" she cried out as she saw the meal they had worked
so hard on begin to slide off the counter.

Piper's cry tore Crystal's eyes away from Lorne's. She shot her
hands out, and a wall of ice encased the food. The dishes hit the
ice but did not break it. Piper breathed a sigh of relief.

When the ship finally quieted and settled back down, Angel got
shakily to his feet. He turned around to Lorne and offered his
hand to Crys.

Crystal had not wanted to be thrown back to the galley, but
Lorne's body felt so nice against her own that she did not want to
get up. His mere touch burned her more badly than anything she'd
ever encountered before, and as she looked back down at him, she
realized that her lips craved his again. At that realization, she
nearly snatched a hold to Angel's hand in desperation and jumped
to her feet.

Lorne got groggily up and helped Prue to stand, then turned to
Piper and helped her. They glanced worriedly over at the Lewises.
Their chair had fallen over, pinning them. Startled eyes had
flashed open, but both sisters had laid still on the floor. Angel
walked over and helped them to their feet.

"Wow," Katrina breathed. "Don't know what caused that, but it sure
was a rush!"

"Jareth," Crystal remembered aloud, "and he's going to get his!"
Her ice blue eyes flashed furiously as she began to march angrily
toward the door.

"Who's Jareth?" Katrina asked.

"He's the King of the Goblins," Crys answered, "but he's also who
knocked you all out. I'm going to ice him if he doesn't find a way
to toss me back in here again!" she ground out.

"Then you'll need our help," Katrina said. "We'll go with you."

"We'll all go," Angel put in. "We need to see what's going on."

"But the food -- " Piper started to protest, worried that the
animals would get into it.

"It'll be fine. I'll melt the ice when we return." Without another
word, Crys started off again. Blue flew beside her, cooing
worriedly. "I know," she growled at him, "but I'm going to this
time! The nerve of him! How *dare* he hurt you and the others!"
Cindy and Elvira padded alongside her, both trying to talk sense
into her.

Hearing Cindy, Celina spoke up. "Perhaps we should first find out
exactly what *is* happening before you kill him, Crystal."

"Crys, calm down," Angel told her. "You're not going to kill
anybody yet. There doesn't seem to be anything going on. Every
one's just standing around in groups and listening. The fight's
over, and I heard the man you call Jareth talking to Jack in
friendly tones."

"Angel, I don't care what he's doing now!" She raised her hands,
and ice shot out again, this time forming a bridge between the two
ships. "It's bad enough that I'm endangering you all! I'm not
going to stand by and let some jerk hurt you, my babies, Lorne, or
any of the others!"

"Crys," Lorne called to her, "we weren't actually hurt. Just put
to sleep for a while. I don't think Jareth did it himself. It was
the smell."

It was only then that Crystal paused. She glanced questioningly at
the others, and agreeing nods met her gaze. She breathed an
audible sigh of relief. Blue cooed from her shoulder, informing
her that she had yet to kill any one herself and he wasn't about
to let her begin.

"He didn't hurt you either when he threw you back into the galley,
did he? Just your ego?" Angel asked quietly.

Crys whirled on him. "My ego?!"

"Yes, your feelings. I didn't see a scratch on you."

"He didn't hurt me," she admitted, "but he didn't hurt my feelings
either! He just pi -- made me angry!"

"Okay. So let's give him a chance and, if he gets out of line,
I'll let you clobber him but not kill him. In fact, I'll help you.
Agreed?"

She nodded.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clark had not been asleep when Lex had looked in on him but had
pretended to be so that he could have a little time with Faith. He
felt left out because Faith would not talk to him. He still hadn't
a clue why she would talk to Lex, but he knew they had been good
for each other. In fact, she had been the one who had helped Lex
and he to get together. He had blocked out their conversation,
because he did not want to eavesdrop. He always allowed them that
bit of privacy even though he could hear very easily.

He had had no warning when they were attacked, but he did not rush
out to confront the attacker. Instead, he stayed back to take care
of the children. He knew very well what the others thought of his
attack ability. He wasn't proud of it. He knew he should have been
more blood-thirsty since he was a Pirate, but he just couldn't
bring himself to kill.

He had been surprised when he was thrown from the bed but had
crawled under it to hold on to the two children who had woken up,
frightened and crying. It proved to be a good thing he had as he
was able to hold them still when the ship unexpectedly began to
spin around. He was suddenly covered when Sarah erupted. She
looked even more frightened, as though she expected him to slap
her for throwing up. "It's all right, baby," he consoled her. "I'm
sorry you're sick." He stroked her hair gently back out of her
face.

"We've got to get you cleaned up." His mind went away from the
attack and concentrated on what he could do to clean her. "First
thing," he said, talking to her reassuringly, "is that we have to
take off your clothes. We'll have to use one of Lex's shirts; mine
are all dirty." He looked in the trunk that had turned upside down
at the foot of their bed and finally found a shirt. It would drag
the ground, because Sarah was so small.

He wiped gently at her mouth with a towel he found and did his
best to clean her up. "We really need some water, but this will
have to do for now. You take your dress off and then put this on."
He closed his eyes even as he pulled his own shirt off, using the
inside part of the shirt to wipe off the vomit. He reached and got
another shirt. Although it was dirty, it was cleaner than the one
he had just pulled off. They all needed baths, but it would have
to wait until later, after he had found Lex and was sure that he
was all right.

Sarah had been expecting him to strip her. She glanced at him in
puzzlement but took the dress off. With shaking hands, she tried
to put the shirt on. Julian had closed his eyes, too, but he
sensed something was wrong. "What's wrong, Sarah?" He felt his
sister's small hand touch his arm. He opened his eyes. "She can't
figure out where to stick her head," he told Clark
matter-of-factly.

Clark could not help but grin. He imagined Lex's shirt was so big
that she had never seen anything like it. He reached out, took it
from her, and, still not opening his eyes, felt for the holes.
Finding the big one, he slipped it over her head. "Put your arms
in the two smaller holes."

Sarah still had not said a single word, and that puzzled Clark.
True, Julian didn't talk much, but Sarah had not made a single
sound since they had found her. He opened his eyes and saw that
she was standing before him, looking at him with big, blue eyes
that melted his heart even more.

"Let's brush your hair, Sarah," he said, reaching back into the
trunk and bringing out his hairbrush. He gently brushed her hair,
doing his best to ease the many tangles out. "We need something to
tie it up with," he announced when he was, at last, finished. He
looked around but could not see any ribbons. "Guess my bandana
will have to do," he said. He slipped it out of his pocket and
used it to tie her hair back.

"You two stay close to me now," he warned while getting to his
feet. "We're going to look for Lex. If I tell you to hide, hide
and don't come out until I tell you to." Holding to one of both of
their hands, he guided the children out. He used his foot to close
the door behind them. He had to know what was going on, but he
would never willingly leave the children alone. He only hoped he
could keep them safe and that Lex was all right, wherever his
beloved had gotten to.


_Chapter Thirty-two_
Crystal was the first to reach the railing. She jumped onto it
without hesitation. Ice shot from her hands, forming a bridge
across the ships that she began to walk over even as it was being
made. Cindy and Elvira joined her, and Blue swooped in toward her
shoulder. When she did not attempt to shoo him away, the relieved
dragon settled in on her shoulder.

Angel followed hot on Crystal's heels. He did not trust the ice,
but he knew it would be the quickest way over. Behind him came
Lorne, then the Lewises, and finally Prue dragging Piper along.
Piper seemed to be wary of the bridge, but Prue had no such
reservations. She knew she didn't weigh anywhere near what Angel
weighed, and if it would hold him, she knew it would hold her.

Angel found Jack's face and saw that he was no longer nervous. He
breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the battle had been adverted
but wondering why. Although they could see what had been going on,
the only times that he had had a clear understanding of what was
happening was when the others had yelled out their words. He had
missed a lot of the encounter by being in the galley and was eager
to find out what was going on.

Lorne did not like the ideal that Angel was between him and Crys
but knew better than to encroach on the territory. He'd just move
as close as he could to her after they got on the other side.

The group was nearly across to the Pearl when two voices called to
them from the Witch. "Hey, wait for us!"

Crys glanced over her shoulder and could barely make out the forms
of the orange catman she'd met earlier and a brunette stranger
hopping onto the bridge. "Looks like your husbands are coming for
the ride," she called to the catwomen before turning her attention
back to the bridge. Reaching the Pearl, she jumped down and
immediately turned angry eyes to look for Jareth. It did not take
her long to find him.

Jack was still talking to Jareth about the ship. He was very
relieved that the stench was gone and thanked Jareth for removing
it. "I still don't understand why you thought Elvira was being
held against her will?" he asked.

"You are Pirates, are you not?" Jareth coldly returned with a
single, cocked eyebrow.

"Lighten up, Hot Pants," Delvira whispered to him mischievously,
"or I might just have to go ahead and pop those pants." She
ignored the surprised look he shot her and turned her attention to
Jack. "We knew about the troubles with Port Royal but didn't know
things were going to come to a head so soon. We found it destroyed
when we got there and thought, at first, that Elvira was dead. If
I hadn't managed to think to check the crystal ball, we would have
never known she had lived, let alone was on your ship."

"Unbeknownst to me, your sister was amongst a group of Witches
that were attacked this morning by the sanctified citizens of Port
Royal. They had one objective on their minds, and that was to burn
the Witches. The Witches attempted to sacrifice themselves. We
lost some of them, but some were saved. We couldn't leave them
there, and so they were brought to our ships."

"I didn't get to meet any of them, because I was away," Jack
continued to explain. "When I returned, we were still under
attack. We fought our way clear of that. It destroyed Port Royal
and almost got us too. At that point, I still had not met your
sister, and her rescuer did not take the time to introduce us." He
glanced angrily over at Wolf. "He was too busy *entertaining* her.
I'm not going to go into detail there; you can take that up with
him."

"No need," Delvira started. It was Jareth's turn to interrupt her,
however.

"If Elvira's sex drive is anything like Delvira's, I can assure
you that he most likely did not have a chance." He glanced
questioningly over at Wolf. "I only hope, for his sake, that he
has more than one pair of pants."

"Pants?" Jack questioned. "I keep hearing references to your
pants. I don't exactly want to know what happens to them, but most
of us don't have extra clothes." He looked at Wolf again. "I
suggest you better get some while we're in Tortuga."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir, for not telling you." Wolf hoped Jack
would not stay mad too long.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xena had watched as the other group had passed over the ice bridge
and hoped it would stay strong long enough for Gabrielle and her
to pass over. She wanted to make a dignified entrance, so she
didn't reach for one of the ropes. Besides, that was one of the
secret ways Jack had of getting from ship to ship quickly that
every crew member knew but did not want revealed to their enemies.
She didn't know if this man was enemy or friend yet, but what she
had seen so far made her definitely dislike him.

Jack looked up as Xena and Gabrielle came across the bridge. "Your
Majesties, I'd like you to meet Captain Xena and her First Mate,
Gabrielle. Xena, Gabrielle, this is the King and Queen of the
Goblins, King Jareth and Queen Delvira."

Xena immediately stared into Jareth's eyes. She'd always believed
that one could read a person by looking into their eyes, and
against her will, she liked what she saw in Jareth's. The man
could either be a great ally or a major pain in the butt. She
hoped he would be an ally. "Pleased to meet you, Your Majesties,"
she said. "That stench was awful. Thank you for removing it from
our ships."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Jareth responded with a
polite tilt of his head to acknowledge the two women. Glancing at
Jack, he added approvingly, "I always have found that it is best
to be backed up by strong women."

"At least you did after you met me," Delvira teasingly corrected
her husband. Looking back to Xena, she continued, "We really do
have to apologize for that. It was all a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstandings happen sometimes," Xena accepted with a nod of
her head. "I hope that, in the future, we will check it out before
having hot tempers. We should trust each other."

Delvira had never been one to investigate a situation before
jumping full-force into it. Even as her mouth flew open, however,
Jareth calmed her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. He spoke
before she could, his eyes returning to Xena's, "Trust is a rare
commodity and one that can only be earned, not given freely."

"True," Xena agreed. "We're Pirates. You're Goblins."

Delvira's black eyes flashed, but Jareth gently increased his
hand's weight on her shoulder, successfully stilling her tongue
just in time. "We are not Goblins," he corrected Xena. "We are . .
. well, not really human but neither are we Goblins. We simply
rule them."

Xena corrected herself. "You're the keepers of the Goblins. Our
people have not trusted each other in the past. In the future, I
hope to correct that. We could make strong allies."

Jack had hoped for that but had not been about to say it for he
still did not feel easy around Jareth. He found he liked Delvira
very much and could easily see why Wolf had been caught up with
Elvira. Both women were not only strong but carried themselves
well. They reminded him of Xena.

"That sounds like a very good ideal," Jack said, his voice trying
to rise an octave on him. "I don't know what's wrong with my voice
today. I believe I need something to drink, but we are all out of
rum."

Jareth raised a gloved hand into the air and snapped urgently.
"Hogwart," he called.

"Hoggle," the Dwarf mumbled.

Jareth ignored him. "Fetch a case of rum and be quick about it,
Hogit."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cole had shimmered into the shadows on the Pearl. He heard the
order given for rum and wondered if he could get on the ship and
get rid of it before Hoggle got there. He attempted to shimmer
aboard Jareth's ship but ran into a force field that knocked him
into the water.

He hoped no one had noticed a glimmer of light hitting the water
or heard the splash. {Damn!} he thought. {How am I going to get
that rum out of here?! I'll have to watch when it comes aboard the
ships and sneak it out from under their noses.}



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack smiled. Was it going to be this easy to get some rum at long
last? He couldn't believe it! He felt like it had been the longest
day of his life, and he'd just about give his right arm to get one
swig of rum! "Thank you, Your Majesty. I can pay you for it if you
wish. How much would you like for it?"

Jareth was about to answer Jack when Hoggle returned, pushing a
crate that was nearly as big as he was in front of him. Jareth
blatantly ignored the Dwarf's sweating and grunting as he stooped
and pried free a bottle. Standing again, he turned his attention
back to Jack as he opened the bottle. "Not everything can be
bought by money, Captain Sparrow," he informed him. "What I
require instead is a tour of your ship so that I may ascertain
that your accommodations for my sister-in-law meet my
specifications."

"I'll be glad to give you one," Jack replied, his mouth watering
for a taste of the rum. He wondered if Jareth was going to stand
there and drink it or give it to him.

With his lips curled upwards into one of his trademark smiles,
Jareth passed the bottle to Jack. "Hogwart," he called down to the
Dwarf, "pass the bottles out amongst any who want them. Any," he
added sternly, looking down at Hoggle with a quirked brow even as
Delvira retrieved two bottles, "from Captain Sparrow's and Xena's
ships." His attention returned to Jack as the Dwarf raced about
following his order.

"Thank you very much, Jareth. May I call you Jareth?"

The King inclined his head into a nod. "For now, at least," he
began. "I must warn you, however, that should I not like what I
find . . . " He had been raising one of the bottles to his own
lips and stopped suddenly, staring at something that was
glittering on his glove.

Jack saw the glitter even as he was about to lift a bottle to his
lips. "What's that?" He wondered what the heck had been left on
the boat this time and hoped it wasn't from the Bog.

Gabrielle leaned close enough into Xena that she could whisper to
her lover without being overheard by normal ears. "Is it just me
or does that look like pink . . . "

Before Gabrielle could even finish her thought, Delvira, who was
peering closely at her husband's black glove, exclaimed, "I swear
that looks like tiny, pink hearts!"

"It looks like it is," Xena whispered back to Gabrielle. "It's
been so long! I had thought She might have forgotten about us."

Jack peered anxiously at the dust. "So it seems to be, Jareth, and
you can call me Jack." He continued raising the bottle to his lips
and took a swig. What was wrong with it? It didn't taste like his
regular rum. It must be imported. He pointed the bottle towards
Will, offering it to him.

Will was about to accept the bottle when the memory of Wolverine's
announcement that Jack had a problem with rum stilled his hand.
"Actually, I think I'll pass," he told Jack, his eyes gazing
questioningly into his beloved's. "That stuff really isn't good
for you."

"It might not be good for you, but it does good things for you,"
Jack said even as he took another swig. He wasn't about to give
his bottle up to anybody else. If Will didn't want it, it was his
loss! The rum seemed to taste better with the second sip. "Well,
Jareth, I don't know what we have aboard. I've heard rumors of a
Fairy."

Jareth shook his head. "I know Faeries," his gaze lifted to meet
Jack's, "and believe me, what left this is no Fairy. You either
have or had a Goddess aboard."

Jack had just taken another sip and almost choked on it. "A
Goddess?! Why my ship?"

Jareth paused, considering the question, but Delvira answered Jack
instead. "Besides Wolf and my sister, have you had any other
sudden couplings?"

Jack didn't rush into an explanation except to say, "Yes, ma'am,
we have. Some strange ones at that." He added the last at the
memory of Phoebe and Joxer's earlier antics.

"Well, it would appear . . . " Delvira started.

"That the Lady Aphrodite must have thought that you needed a
little aid in the romance department," Jareth finished for his
wife.

Angel, overhearing the conversation, informed them that he had
just sent Blue to fetch Captain Xena as there had been an incident
in the galley immediately before they had been sent into the Bog.

Xena looked at him. "What kind of incident?"

"Well . . . We had a couple attempting." He let his voice trail
off. "These two would not normally have attempted it. One or both
may have even been virgins," he whispered the last part.

Lorne overheard Angel's statement about the virgin and blushed
red. "That's right, Angel!" he whispered to him so that only he
should have been able to hear him. "Tell the whole damn ship!"

Elvira whimpered at that, and Crystal's gaze finally moved from
Jareth. She looked first at the wolf, and then her surprised gaze
narrowed in on her unsuspecting brother. "*Angel!*"

"I didn't!" Angel protested. "I just told the King, Queen, and the
Captains."

"Gotta remember," Elvira spoke up from where she was still
encircled by Wolf's arms. "I don't know how many of us do, but
some can hear pretty damn well." Her black lips twitched as she
struggled to keep from laughing. "I know I heard you loud and
clear."

"Sorry, Lorne, but I didn't name names. You gave yourself away.
They have to know. It was highly unusual. Then we all got knocked
out. So if we have a Goddess aboard, that would mean . . . " He
turned to look at Xena and Gabrielle. "You might know Her?"

"We might," Xena admitted. "Then we might not."

"Well, do you or don't you?" Jack asked.

"Depends," Gabrielle put in. "Exactly *which* Goddess are we
talking about here?" Though she had heard Jareth name Aphrodite,
she was still hoping to throw them off. "I mean, there's Discord,
Athena, Hera . . ." She was really beginning to get started naming
every Goddess other than Aphrodite when Jack broke her off.

"Well, we suspect Aphrodite. Isn't she the Goddess of Love?" Jack
asked.

"Yes," Xena said. "We do know her, but it's been a long time. I
thought She'd forgotten about us."

It was Jareth's words and true smile that surprised the lot then.
"Trust me, madam; that Lady never forgets any lonely soul."

"That's true," Xena admitted, "and She did come aboard both ships.
If you promise to be gentlemen, I will call Her and see if She
answers."

Jack nodded. "I promise to behave. I'd like to see a Goddess. She
must be something to behold!"

Xena looked at Jareth. "And you?"

"I would never do anything to offend Her. I . . . " he paused,
glancing at Delvira whose hand he took in the hand that had been
freed when he'd placed Salem back on the deck. "I thank Her every
day of my life."

Xena called out in a loud, clear voice, "APHRODITE, IF YOU'RE
ABOARD, PLEASE SHOW YOURSELF?"

An expected hush fell over the crowd that was exploded into by a
scantily-clad, gorgeous blonde dressed all in pink and bubbling
over with laughter. Some of the Pirates fell on the ground and
covered their faces for they were too afraid to look upon Her.
Jack stood, his feet planted firmly but his mouth hanging open. He
had really expected nothing to happen and that some one had been
playing a trick. Now that the beautiful Goddess had actually
appeared, he was so stunned that he could think of nothing to say.

Xena rushed forward and hugged Aphrodite. "It's been so long,
Ditey! Why didn't you come before now?"

"Well, you know how things are, Xena. I've been *so* busy! There's
so many wars going on and so many people killing each other;
there's just not enough love to go around!" She reached out,
hugged Xena, and pulled Gabrielle to Her, as well. "I really got
to missing you girls, so I tracked you. I haven't seen you since I
helped you two to get together! There have been *so* many couples
after you, but you were always my favorite!"

Jack finally got his mouth to working. "But why my ship? I can see
Xena's with your old friends, but why mine?"

"Where do you want Me to start?" Aphrodite questioned him. "My
seeing My old friends, wanting to drop by for a visit, then
realizing that their anniversary is coming up next week, and I
just couldn't let it go by without doing a little something for
them? Or maybe with a certain two men who are too stubborn for
their own good?" Her eyes met Jack's evenly as She said the last,
a teasing smile lighting up her face even more.

Jack looked at Her again. This time, he dared to look straight in
Her eyes and had to look away. He didn't ask who the two men were.
He figured She'd tell him any way. "But what about the others?"

"Well, Little Mister Chicken," she said, referring to Will who was
rather hiding behind Jack at the moment and was still far too
shocked to do or say anything, "and you aren't the only ones who
are too stubborn for your own good. I mean, *really*, there's
Wolverine who doesn't trust any one, Angel and Brendan who think
they don't deserve any one -- oh, and those *delicious* hunks of
Demons too -- and that blonde who thinks every else is better off
without her and -- "

Feeling that the babbling Goddess could carry on well into the
night, Jack knew he had to interrupt. "I'm sure the world's full
of other humans who are just as deserving as we are," he put in,
"but why us?"

"Because to be quite frank," Aphrodite returned, one hand on Her
hip, "out of the whole world, there's no other place with as many
messed-up lives as aboard these two ships." She shrugged and
winked as She added, "And, besides, none of the others would have
mattered to My ladies here." She hugged Xena and Gabby again.

Xena returned Aphrodite's hug, as did Gabrielle. It was Xena who
spoke for the both of them, however. "It's good to see You! We've
missed You! Come over to our ship, and we can talk about old
times."

Jack didn't know what to say. Aphrodite had pinpointed them, and
he had to admit that She was right. "One more question. Does it
wear off?"

"Now you see *that* one's a bit tricky," Ditey started with a
wrinkle of Her nose. "Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. But not this
time. The pairings I've helped to set up here would have happened
with time regardless. I only sped things up. After all, if it'd
been left up to you boys, Will would have ended up married to a
*woman* and *you* would have wound up in Davy Jones' locker. And,
yes," she added, feeling the surprise of those around her, "I *do*
know some Pirate talk, thank you very much!"

"No, ma'am; thank *You* very much," Jack spoke reverently.
"Without that added push, I would never have had the courage to
gain the one thing I wanted more than anything else in life. I
would have lost Will. Without him, life isn't worth living." He
reached around and pulled Will to stand beside him. "And I won't
have You thinking him a chicken. He's not. He's a very brave man.
It's just very hard to let the one you love know how you feel." He
breathed a sigh. "Thank you again. We won't let you down."

"Oh, you better not," Aphrodite informed him with a grin, "because
if you do, I'll be back."

He pulled Will closer to his side and kissed him in front of the
Gods and the world. His crew cheered, realizing that, at last, the
two were together. When he looked up again, Aphrodite was gone,
taking Xena and Gabrielle with Her, and Will had his eyes closed.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

A sigh fluttered from Will's lips as he slowly opened his eyes and
gazed back up at Jack. "Oh, I'm much better than okay," he
reassured him with a dazed smile for his air had still not
completely returned from Jack's kiss. "I should have thanked Her,
though."

"You already did," Aphrodite's voice returned to them though She
Herself did not, "and Jack's right about another thing. You may
act like a chicken at times, but You're braver than even You
know."

"Oh, and I've a message for the little brunette who thinks She
doesn't need anybody." Faith's eyes whipped around her. She'd
barely silenced herself in time to keep the others from realizing
that she, too, had cheered at the realization that Jack and Will
were finally together. She knew nobody except Lex had heard her,
so just what did this pesky Goddess want? "You do need them. You
say there's strength in killing, but there's more in love. One way
or another, you're going to find that out." Aphrodite's voice
silenced as unexpectedly as it had began, leaving Faith to glare
around at the others.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jareth, Delvira, I want you to meet my better half: Will Turner."
Before they went any further together, he wanted to know how they
would react to his love. That would greatly affect rather or not
they would be friends and allies in the future. If they did not
accept Will, Jack wanted no part of them.

Delvira smiled and started to speak, but Jareth beat her to it.
With a smile, he extended his hand to Will. "It is a pleasure to
meet you, Mister Turner." As he shook Will's hand, he added, "I
only hope that the two of you will find as much bliss in your
union as I have with my Delvira."

Jack grinned. This looked very promising for all of their futures!
"Shall we take that tour now?" he proposed.

"In just a moment," Jareth replied. Without looking behind him, he
pointed a finger at Hoggle who had just opened a bottle of rum for
no one other than himself. "Hogwart, do you *want* to return to
the Bog?"

"NO, SIR!" the Dwarf screeched, releasing the bottle so that it
rolled across the deck.

It stopped at Donkey's hooves. "Jackpot!" The excited word slipped
from Donkey's mouth even as he grabbed the bottle with his mouth
and started to drink.

"Now you may spend some time with your cousin," Jareth informed
Hoggle, "but should I have any reason to complain over you, you
will be returned to the Bog posthaste, savvy?"

"Yes, sir!" With that, Hoggle ran and Jareth turned his attention
back to Jack. He started to speak but stopped as he realized that
he was being stared at. He turned his head, and this time, his
eyes met with a pair of angry, ice blue eyes. "Am I going to have
to send you back there again?"

"Try it," Crystal seethed.

Angel reached out and touched Crys' arm. "Crys, don't," he asked
her pleadingly. Everything had been going so well, and he couldn't
bare the fact that she was about to get thrown back to the galley
again. "He apologized already to the Captains."

"I know," she returned. "To the *Captains*. I haven't heard one
word -- "

Jareth stopped her short. He had already taken in the men standing
to either side of her as well as the three animals that surrounded
her. He did not know their names so called to them instead by
their species, "To the dragon, the wolf -- Not you," he glanced at
Wolf. "Hers," he added, looking back at the lupine Elvira. "The
cat -- er, lioness," he corrected, remembering the catpeople. "And
the two to either side of you. You each have my deep apo -- apo --
apol -- Damn it, not again!"

"He's trying to say he's sorry," Delvira explained for her husband.

Crystal eyed him questioningly. "Precisely," Jareth agreed. Crys
hesitated, considering his words, then looked to those who were
gathered around her. If they accepted his apology, she would let
it slide . . . *this* time.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Angel said followed quickly by Lorne's
thanks. Blue cooed, and Elvira nodded her head in acceptance.
Cindy remained silent, however.

"Coo coo coo coo!" Blue quickly informed them.

Delvira cocked her head to one side as she listened to the dragon.
She thought she understood what he was trying to tell them but was
not certain. Looking at the lioness, she asked, "Do you hate men?"
Cindy nodded. "Then would you please accept *my* apology," Delvira
humbly requested, "from one woman who has to keep her man straight
to another woman who has to keep the men in her life in line?" A
catish smile spread over the lioness' face at that, and an audible
sigh of relief could be heard generating from more than one pair
of lips.

That was the first time Angel found out that Cindy hated men. He
knew he'd have to watch her in the future.

Lorne thought, {If *Cindy* hates men, why was it *Elvira* that bit
me in the butt?} He'd keep his eye on that cat just in case. One
never knew about cats.

Jareth's eyes met Crystal's. "And, most of all, madam, I ap -- apo
-- apol -- " He sighed. "You-know for having caused any harm to
your family whatsoever."

She watched him warily, the denial that all were her family on the
tip of her tongue, but did not speak. Instead, she only nodded her
acceptance.

"Shall we continue on our tour?" Jack asked Jareth, hoping there
wouldn't be any more outbursts. He clung to Will's hand to make
sure that Will went with him.

Will could feel Jack's nervousness but was not sure where it
steamed from. He entwined his fingers with Jack's in silent
reassurance that he was not going anywhere.

Jareth turned his attention back to the Captain and his lover, his
own arm sneaking out to wrap around Delvira's slender waist and
pull her closer. "Yes, let's *begin*," he quietly corrected Jack.
He hoped he would find the ship to his liking as he already had
its crew.

"Before today, we were mostly males aboard the ship, and we had an
open sleeping quarters. As soon as we get to Tortuga, I am going
to have my carpenter get lumber and separate the quarters. If
nothing else, the females will all be together in one section.
He's a very smart young man; I'll have to put it to him. I am sure
that there will be those who wish to share their sleeping quarters
with their partner, such as your sister-in-law, but hers will be
the first built. We have a group of four sisters who will be next
on the list; they definitely need to be protected." His voice
trailed off, and the crew returned to work.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the others left, Wolf released Elvira and moved to face her
instead. "We need to talk, but I must get my clothes first so that
I can return Jareth's cloak. Stay here, and I'll be back." Without
another word, he headed off for the crow's nest. He hoped that his
clothes were still in tact.

Elvira's words stuck in her throat as Wolf left her. She turned,
watching his departing back with sad eyes. She knew he was furious
with her. She shouldn't care, she told herself. After all, wasn't
he just a good screw, even if he was the best she'd ever had? Yet
she did care, and her heart felt as though there was a knife in
it.

Yipping met her ears, and she turned toward it to find Gonk racing
at her. She knelt and gathered him in her arms. "Hey, baby.
Where've you been?" He licked her face, but no smile crossed her
black lips.

"Mommy's screwed up again." Wolf had told her to stay, but even
then she was walking away from the spot he'd left her at, her eyes
drawn to Jareth's ship. "Maybe that's all this was: a screw-up."
She looked questioningly down at Gonk. "What do you think?" The
poodle only stared at her in response, and she sighed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clark finally spotted Lex, and a smile came to his lips. Still
holding tightly to the children's hands, he walked toward him.
"Lex, I missed you. What in the world has been going on while we
were napping?"

Faith had still been standing next to Lex when Clark had called
out to him. She glanced at him as he approached with the kids,
then turned her attention to Lex. "I'll catch ya, Luthor," she
coldly spoke. She was gone before he could say one word. With the
danger passed, her thoughts were already returning to Dawson, and
she had no intention of hanging around any one, let alone
children, until she could stop the annoying thoughts that seemed
to be eating away at all her common sense.

Lex stifled a sigh. He wished there was something that he could do
to help Faith but knew from past experience that there really was
not, at least not yet. Turning his attention back to his lover and
the children, he smiled. "Crazy story," he answered with a grin.
"Not really long but definitely crazy."

"We had a bit of an accident when the spin happened," Clark told
him. "Sarah got sick, and I realized we haven't washed clothes in
ages. I couldn't find a single clean shirt! The kids only have the
clothes they were wearing when we rescued them, so I borrowed one
of your shirts. I hope it was okay."

"You should know it was," Lex reassured him with a gentle smile.
He knelt down and opened his arms to Sarah; she flew into them.
"Are you feeling better now, Sarah?" he asked her. She nodded. Lex
was getting worried, because no matter what he asked Sarah, she
never said a word. He wanted to get Brendan to check her out, but
things had been happening too fast.

He reached out and tousled Julian's hair. "Looks like you two need
a bath, as well. Actually, make that all of us," Lex said. He
dared not smell his pit for he couldn't remember when he'd had a
bath last. Was that only yesterday? It seemed like a million
light-years ago!

"I don't know anything about bathing kids," Lex admitted as he
stood back up, holding Sarah. "Maybe we can get one of the women
to help us?" He knew better than to ask Faith. She'd take them out
and drown them. He glanced around at the ladies who were still on
deck. "Katrina, could I ask a great big favor?"

"Sure, Lex." She liked the young man and would do what she could
to help him.

"Could you teach Clark and me how to wash kids? We all need a
bath, but the kids need it really bad. Sarah was sick."

"Tell you what, Lex. Let us take the kids for a while. You and
Clark go get a bath. I hate to tell you, Clark, but you really
smell," she informed him, her nose wrinkling in his direction.
"We'll take the kids, and you can come get them later." She
figured that would give the boys a little time alone together,
something they both desperately needed.

Clark nodded. He thought that would be a great thing to happen.
"We still need to learn how to wash them."

"Tomorrow," Katrina assured him, hoping that Celina would have
some ideal, more than she did, about how to wash kids. Her sister
had kittensitted a few times, but she did not even have that much
exposure to children. After all, she had been a Starship Captain,
and there had never been any kids on her starship.

Julian looked at the catwoman. "Pretty," he said as he reached out
toward her. She leaned down and picked him up.

"Thank you, Julian. Let's go have some fun and get a bath." She
thought that sounded inane to even her own ears. Fun? Bath? There
was no way that that could be! She didn't like baths either.

Celina smiled at Lex and held her arms out for Sarah. "We'll take
good care of them, Lex. Come and get them after you two are done.
We'll have them all nice and clean for you."

"Thank you so much," Lex and Clark said together, "for
everything." They were both excited because, at last, they would
get a chance to be alone.

Katrina looked around for Tom and noticed that both he and Morph
were missing. "Figures," she said. "Neither one of our guys are
anywhere around."

"It would have been nice if they had at least got us some water!"
Celina complained to the air. The sisters headed off for the
sleeping quarters. When they got there, they were surprised to
find two tubs of water and lit lanterns waiting, yet there was
still no sign of their husbands. They shook their heads but turned
their attention back to the children.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It only took Wolf seconds to reach the top of the crow's nest, and
he picked his clothes up. Thankfully, the pants were in tact, but
the shirt looked as though it had blown apart from the inside out.
Had he wolfed? He couldn't remember. Elvira and he had had so many
wonderful encounters that he didn't even remember how many times
they had actually done it. In fact, they would still be up there
doing it if Jareth had never appeared on the scene.

Why did she not tell him that her sister was Helvira? Did she
really think he would not know who she was? He couldn't get over
how close Delvira and Elvira resembled each other. They were
identical, even down to their scent, for he had sniffed Delvira as
he waited in front of Jareth. If those two smelled the same, then
he had to believe what Jareth said was true. Helvira was just as
identical to them as they were to each other.

He wondered if Elvira had not told him simply because she was
afraid that he wouldn't want her any more. That certainly wasn't
the case! Wolf thought even as the mere ideal of her caused him to
get hard once again. He angrily tried to shake his feelings down.
What if, in truth, she had turned out to be Helvira instead of
Elvira? She was a woman. Didn't she have to have sex, too? Being
the triplet of the other two, she would have an equally deep
sexual appetite.

His voice had been scathing when he had talked to Elvira minutes
before, and it worried him. He hoped he had not hurt her so much
that she wouldn't speak to him, but he had to know why she had not
told him. He had come very close to betraying his Captain,
something he would have rather died than to ever do. He didn't
want to lose Elvira.

Gods, women were so complicated! Even when they burnt you up and
put you in Heaven one second, they burned you up and put you in
Hell the next! He wrapped the cloak around himself once again and
dropped the shirt out of the crow's nest to the deck. He began to
descend.

"Hey!" a voice called up to him in protest. "Watch where you throw
those things!" Brendan snatched Wolf's shirt off of his head, and
his nose wrinkled as it passed by his face. "When was the last
time you had a bath, any way?"

"Yesterday, I think. Sorry about falling on you earlier." He
stepped onto the deck, took his shirt, balled it up, and threw it
into one of the rubbish bins.

"Wolf, I . . . " Brendan's nervous eyes skirted around the ship,
looking at anything but Wolf. "I need to talk to you . . ."

"This sounds serious, Brendan. What can I help you with?" He
looked at Brendan. "I'll do anything I can." He wondered if
something had turned up bad on the tests Brendan had given him.

"I need to know something, but I'm afraid it's very personal." He
raked a nervous hand through his thick hair before daring to look
questioningly at Wolf. "How . . . How do you do it?"

Wolf thought for a minute. "How do I do what, Brendan? You seem
very upset. What's wrong? There's no one around that can hear,
including Carl, because I saw him heading off with his cousin a
while ago. I don't smell anybody besides us."

"Well, it's sort of a long story or maybe . . . maybe not really .
. . " Brendan's words stumbled over themselves as he tried to
explain his situation to Wolf. "I . . . There's a . . . One of the
new women aboard . . . She kissed me today . . . "

"I heard about that," Wolf interrupted, "and you wolfed. Jack had
to knock you out. I'm not surprised. You are a virgin, aren't
you?" He looked straight into Brendan's eyes, wondering if the kid
would deny it or not.

Brendan nodded. "I am. I never . . . I never thought I could . . .
you-know . . . without . . . without killing . . . eating . . .
the woman . . . but . . . you manage it."

"Well, as you say, it's a long story. I, too, could not control
myself in the beginning, not until I met a very special woman. She
was a very beautiful Gypsy. I followed her everywhere in my man
form, but my wolf form was drawn to her, as well. On full moons, I
lingered outside her tent, just smelling and wanting her. I
thought I would die of the want, but I dared not touch her. I knew
I'd eat her. That's what our kind are best known for. I didn't
want to eat her, not in that way."

"She was aware of me, although I thought she was not, and she
approached the man part of me. She told me that the only way we
could do it would be if I got myself under control. Well, I had no
clue as to how to do that, but she knew everything."

"She was my first lover. We had to be very careful and work on it
together. She chained me securely, and when I turned . . . " he
paused for a minute, " . . . she made love to me. Not the man
part. The wolf part. Now you would have thought that I would have
ripped those chains apart and torn her limb from limb, but I
didn't. Even as we made it a second time, I changed from the wolf
into the man. We made love the rest of the night."

"From that moment to this, I have had control." He looked at
Brendan. "It's what worked for me, kid. It will work for you, too,
but the woman has to be willing. She has to take charge without
fear in her heart. There has to be love."

Brendan's skin was paled at the realization of what Wolf had just
told him, and his eyes displayed his fear clearly. He managed to
keep his voice firm when he spoke, however. "Thank you." He hoped
that Wolf would not sense his emotions but could not help them for
now he knew the truth beyond any further shadow of a doubt. Jack
had been wrong, and he had been right. He could not ask Prue to
make love to his wolf; he could never allow it even if she would
want to. He could never place her in that kind of danger. He was
going to be a wolf forever, would never be able to be with Prue,
and would die a virgin.

Wolf looked at Brendan's head hanging down. "You don't think she
loves you enough to want to do your wolf, or do you not love her
enough to ask? Brendan, you can't just hang it up, and yes, I know
what you're thinking for I thought the same thing. She got me
drunk, chained me, and took care of it all in one night. We spent
three days making love after that. I'd be with her now, but I
can't. If Prue loves you, she will gladly do it. You need to talk
to her. Or do you just want to throw everything away?"

Brendan shook his head. "It is not that I *want* to throw
everything away, my friend," he explained, slowly raising his eyes
to look into Wolf's, "but I can not ask her to do that. Even if
she would, I could not allow it. I will not put her in harm's way,
but . . . I do thank you for telling me."

"There will come a time, Brendan, that you will not want to be
anywhere near her. And don't tell me it's there now. I'm a wolf
just like you are. I know what you're feeling. At that time, your
desire for her will overpower you. I'll know when it is for wolves
can feel it in each other. I'll come and be with you."

"Any time you want to talk, you have but to approach me. We'll go
somewhere so that nobody can hear, but I want you to think this
over. If you are chained, you can't possibly hurt her, and
although wolves are bigger than humans, we're not anything that
certain women can't handle. She might just be one of those. Elvira
certainly is." He clasped Brendan to him in a bear hug. "Any time,
day or night, Brendan, you need me, let me know. I've got to get
back to Elvira now. I said some angry words to her earlier. I'm
looking forward to making up with her."

Brendan nodded in understanding though he already knew that he
could never allow Prue to make love to his wolf, not even with
chains for there was always a chance that they might break. Yet
when Wolf spoke to him of Elvira, he looked at him with questions
in his eyes. "I'm confused," he admitted. "If you want to be with
the Gypsy, why are you with Elvira?"

"My Gypsy was killed a long time ago by evil humans. I killed
them. I ran away and was being hunted by the townsfolk. They
didn't care that Melinda was killed. They thought nothing of her
life, but the three that killed her were leading townsmen. They
wanted my head on a platter. Jack saved my unworthy hide and
brought me to the Pearl."

Brendan smiled sadly at Wolf's words about Jack's rescue of Wolf's
"unworthy hide". He could not even begin to count the number of
times he had thought the same, but he knew that Wolf was worthy
though he himself was not and Jack would argue that they both
were. "He's good at that," he agreed. He then sobered. "I am sorry
that you lost her, but thank you, Wolf." He again hugged him.

"I am sorry for the loss of her, as well, my friend, but I am very
thankful for her. She was one Hell of a woman. I have observed
your Prue. I think she is, too. Remember, if you need me . . . "

Brendan nodded. "I'll howl."

"And I'll run like the wind," Wolf said. He smiled at Brendan even
as he left him to seek for Elvira.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon reaching their sleeping quarters, Lex looked around at the
disarray. Clothes were scattered everywhere. He picked up one
shirt and smelled it. Holding his nose, he said, "Phew! It has
been a while since we've washed. We'd better do that first as we
may not even have a clean pair of pants to put on."

Clark nodded. Since leaving the others, he had fallen quiet. While
they had been with the kids, he had had to fight to keep in
control of his emotions and had managed to concentrate on them
rather than what had happened, but now all he could think of was
the auction and the lives he had taken.

Lex gathered the clothes up together into a pile and stuffed them
into a bag. Then he pushed Clark down on the bed. "We'd best talk
here. The other places might have people, and we have things that
have to be said. Do you want to talk first, or do you want me to
start?" He turned Clark around slightly and began to massage his
back. He couldn't believe how tense he was.

Silence reigned for a long moment before Clark finally admitted
softly, "I can't get it out of my head, Lex. I can't stop thinking
about them, stop hearing the screams . . . " He struggled to keep
the tears in his eyes from falling.

"Don't take credit for all those screams," Lex softly chided him.
"In truth, you hit very few people. The rest of us were having a
really good time taking care of the jerks. The only one I actually
saw you hit was the one that was about to kill Will. Julian said
you killed the ones that were trying to rape Sarah. So you did
nothing wrong, my love, but in fact, saved three very wonderful
people, none of whom would be alive now if you had not killed
their attackers." He continued to massage Clark's back. He felt
his shoulders shake and knew that he was fighting tears. He gently
kissed him on the back of the neck.

"It's not right," Clark protested quietly. "I didn't want them to
die, Lex, but I didn't want to kill any one either. There had to
have been another way, but we didn't even get the chance to see if
there was. And just what the heck caused *fire* to come out of my
*eyes*, any way?! What if it happens again?"

Lex stopped massaging Clark and pulled his back up against his
chest, encircling him with his arms. "You know you have strange
powers, Clark. When they started kicking in, they weren't scary,
just amazing. Each of them has been a gift in what it can enable
you to do. We don't know how many powers you may have laying
dormant in there, and we don't know when they're going to kick in.
This one caught us unawares, but it was needed just the same.
There was no way we could have reached any of those attackers in
time to save Will and the kids. Your speed might have enabled you
to save one of them, but all three of them? I don't think so."

"You were never able to control any of the powers when they first
kicked in. Some of them were fun while learning how to use them,
but this one is scary as Hell. Don't let it make you think that
I'm going to run out on you. I'm always going to be here for you,
Clark." Lex kissed the back of his head and then turned Clark
around to face him. "No matter what you do or even if you try to
make me leave you, I'm never going to leave you, and together we
can face anything, even your fire power."

Clark's brain knew that Lex was right and that they could not have
saved the others if not for his fire, but his heart still refused
to stop feeling guilty for the deaths that he had caused. His
teary eyes slowly raised to Lex's, and he could see both his love
and the truth of his words in his beloved's gaze. He could also
see his fear, however, and knew that he was just as scared as he
was. He raised a hand to gently cup his face even as he spoke.
"Lex, fire isn't something that can be played with. We both know
that, and by Gods, I don't . . . I don't want to cause what Lionel
almost did. I never would willingly, but I can't control it."

He gently stroked Clark's face. It was a face he loved waking up
to every morning and hoped to for the rest of his life. "Clark,
you're not going to hurt the ones you love. I know that, and deep
down, you know that. What my Father did bothers me greatly. You
know I lost my brother in that fire. You would never do anything
like that. I know it, but you have to know it in here." He gently
touched him on his heart. "Believe in yourself, Clark, as I
believe in you. Trust yourself as I trust you."

"We will watch for the fire power together. It is something to be
leery of, but that doesn't mean that you can't get it under
control. When we get to Tortuga, we'll practice it away from
others so that no one can get hurt. You have to get to where
you'll be comfortable with it and not fear it. Gods only know what
great miracles you might pull off with it." He brushed his hair
back out of his face. He kissed him gently on his forehead, then
the tip of his nose, and finally his lips.

Even as Clark returned Lex's kiss in full, his lips parting under
his so that their tongues could spark a duet, he could not keep
the fear from his mind or heart. He knew that Lex believed in him
just as much as he believed in Lex, but to believe in himself was
another thing entirely. He knew he would never willingly hurt Lex
or any of the others, for that matter, but he also knew that he
could not control his fire power. What if it kicked in, without
warning, while they were out here at sea? It could only spell
their doom if it did.

Lex had read many books in the past, and now, suddenly, in the
midst of kissing Clark, he broke off. "You remember that book I
got in port last time? The one about the blind guy who had the
strange vision caused by heat and the glasses that he had
especially made for himself that shielded his eyes? Just a
thought, but Doctor Doom might be able to make you a pair. When I
put the shirt on you, your eyes quit shooting fire. The glasses
might have the same effect. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Clark nodded. "I'll try anything." He had wanted some time alone
with Lex so desperately that his body ached for his lover's, but
they also needed to figure out something to do about the fire. It
was then that another thought occurred to him: What if his latest
power kicked in during the midst of making love to Lex? He paled
at that thought and barely managed to keep his voice from shaking
as he asked, "Why don't we go find him and see what he thinks?"

Lex, whose own body had been throbbing excessively from the lack
of Clark, whispered, "Later," and pushed Clark back on the cot.
The cot was just big enough to hold the both of them. He kissed
Clark on both of his closed eyes and then worked his way down to
the first button on his shirt which he opened with his teeth. He
then kissed the newly exposed area.

"Lex, maybe . . . maybe this isn't exactly . . . exactly the best
time . . . "

"Any time's the best time, darling," Lex said as he worked the
next button loose. He couldn't tell yet if Clark's sword was
rising to the occasion, but his was so stiff that it was
threatening to burst his pants. This time when the shirt opened,
he licked him.

Lex's every touch was boiling Clark's blood ever more, but still
his fear persisted. He kept his eyes tightly shut even as his
hands reached out, groping blindly for any kind of cloth that he
could tie around his eyes.

Lex, realizing what Clark was trying to do, came back up to his
lips. He kissed Clark's eyelids again. "Open your eyes, beloved. I
want you to look at me. Believe what I am telling you. You're not
going to hurt me. You're exhausted; your power will not kick in
now. Maybe when you've rested, and don't think I believe you were
napping this afternoon. You caught me talking to Faith, and you
backed up, didn't you, thinking I didn't see you? But I felt you.
You can't get near me, Clark, without my feeling you. You're in my
blood. Your blood calls to me, and mine calls to you. Don't you
feel it?"

Though Clark still refused to open his eyes, his right hand found
Lex's face, and he caressed him. "Of course I do! I love you, Lex,
but I don't want to risk hurting you!" A smile toyed with his
lips, however, as he admitted, "And you're right. I wasn't
sleeping, but you needed time with her. If I'd made myself known,
she would have cussed us out and ran like the wind."

He laid down beside Clark, pulling him into his arms. "I don't
know why she is like she is, Clark. She's her own worst enemy, but
she cares about both of us. She's helped us a lot in the past. She
just doesn't want credit for it. I don't know what to do to make
you open your eyes, but you can't go around with them closed all
the time. You had them open on deck. Why won't you open them now?"

"Lex, when I . . . When the fire kicked in, it was because I saw
that guy about to kill you. I was desperate to reach you, and the
fire came with the emotions. What if . . . What if that's what
triggers it?"

"I think it's triggered by intense anger, so unless you're angry
with me about something, Clark, why would you fire at me? Are you
mad at me?"

His arm wrapped around Lex, squeezing him in a gentle hug to his
side. "I'm not mad at you, love," he reassured him.

"Then open your eyes. I want to look into them when I make love to
you." He pushed Clark back onto his back and rose above him, still
looking at his closed eyes.

"But what if it's not anger? What if it's any intense emotion?"

"Trust me, Clark." He leaned down and kissed him. "If that was the
case, then it would have probably kicked in sooner. How many times
have we touched and the emotion not been so strong that it
threatened to melt us? And how many times have you been so angry
that you felt like you were about to explode and yet felt helpless
at the same time?" He lay half on Clark and half on the cot,
looking at his eyes and willing them to open.

Lex's words made sense, Clark realized. Every time Lex so much as
touched him, heat unlike any other shot through him, but although
he'd also been furious before, he had never felt both as angry and
helpless as he had when he had seen his beloved about to be killed
that day. Could it be? Could Lex be right and that was what caused
it? He dared to lift his eyes slowly, sensing for the heat that
had rushed into them earlier that day. No sign of the hot feeling
that had encased his eyes when the fire had shot from them came,
and eventually, Clark found himself gazing back into Lex's
beautiful eyes. A smile lit up his face.

Lex wanted to crow in triumph! Clark had opened his eyes! "Your
eyes are so beautiful, Clark; I get lost in them every time I look
into them. The love in them overwhelms me, especially knowing that
it's all for me! It makes me feel blessed every day; *you* make me
feel blessed every day!" He leaned down, reverently took Clark's
lips gently at first, and then deepened the kiss as he felt the
heat rush over him.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elvira stood at the Pearl's railing, her haunted black eyes
focused on Jareth's ship, Delvira's Delight. Perhaps the best
thing she could do was to just go across? They could always drop
her off at the next port.

"Hey, baby!" a voice called to her. "Come on over!"

"Yeah," another added, "we can play a game!"

She glanced at the creatures that called to her in time to see a
head bobbing up and down in the air and grinning at her. "Come on,
hot stuff!"

She glared at them. "Go to Hell!"

"Aw! Come on! That ain't the way to play!"

Elvira growled at them, then tore her eyes away. Perhaps if she
ignored them, they'd go away. They continued to call to her, and
Gonk began to bark at them.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Wolf heard was Gonk barking madly at something
orange bouncing up and down. The creatures weren't actually
touching the ship, but they were very close to it. They began to
call to him. "Hey, man! Take off your head! We can play!"

"Take off *your* head," Wolf growled as he reached out, snatched
one of their heads, and threw it as far as he could. The rest of
them raced madly after it, trying to catch it. Turning back in the
direction he had been headed, he saw Elvira standing with her back
to him and leaning on the railing. "Hey, beautiful," he called to
her. He kept walking toward her, hoping she'd turn around.

"Hello." Her tone was formal and tight, and she kept her eyes
focused on the other ship and her back turned to him. Gods, she
should have just went ahead while she'd had the chance! Playing
with the Fieries would have been easier than facing Wolf at the
moment. She gathered Gonk more tightly to her bosom.

He walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her, and nuzzled
her neck. "Forgive me, sweetheart, for being so grouchy earlier. I
was puzzled why you didn't tell me about your sister, and I felt
that I almost betrayed Jack. I don't want to lose you, Elvira!"
There was a cry in his voice. "I love you!" He nuzzled her neck
again.

Those three words caused her to jump away from him. She whirled so
that her back pressed against the railing, and her eyes looked at
him in alarm. "Whoa! Hold on right there, lover boy!"

"*Now* what did I say wrong?" Wolf asked, reluctantly letting her go.

She wielded Gonk between them as though the poodle was a shield.
"Wolf, I thought . . . I thought we were just, you know, bed mates
. . . "

"If that's what you want. I'll take you any way that you'll give
yourself to me, but I can't help what's in my heart." He looked at
her pleadingly like a lost little puppy.

His gaze melted her, forcing the tenseness in her body to relax to
the point that she nearly dropped Gonk. How could he love her? she
wondered. "You barely know me," she choked out. "What makes you
think you love me?"

"Put the dog down. Come here," he directed.

She looked at him suspiciously. She lowered Gonk gently to the
deck but did not step any closer.

He stepped closer to her instead, reached out, took her hand, and
placed it on his heart. "Do you feel that? It hasn't beat that
well for a long time. In fact, I thought I might even be dying
until I met you. You make every part of me alive. Every part of me
wants you." He lowered her hand so that she could feel his sword.
"How could I not love you? You make me want to live and love
again." His eyes connected with hers, and he tried to send the
love he was feeling for her through his gaze.

Her hand felt the bulge of his mighty sword through his pants.
Perhaps she could distract him? she wondered. Take his mind away
from all this insane talk about love? She started to caress him,
but her fingers froze as he gazed at her with such adoration in
his eyes. No man had ever looked at her that way before, and his
gaze shot straight to her heart. "Wolf, I . . . I don't . . . know
what to say . . ."

He lifted her hand and kissed it. "Why are you so afraid of some
one loving you? You're very easy to love. I never get enough of
you." He could not believe the heat surging through his body nor
that his sword still wanted Elvira. They had been doing it all
day, and yet it was ready, willing, and able to go again!

"Wolf, I've never . . . never really had a steady man in my life.
Actually, I've never had any one steady in my life except for
Delvira and Gonk. Look at me," she told him. "Yes, I'm beautiful,
but I'm also a ghoul. They get or take what they want, and then,
when they no longer want me, they run like Hell or . . . or . . .
" Her voice trailed off, and her eyes dropped from his, turning
instead to the deck.

"Or what?" he asked, his eyes still locked on her luscious body.
"What happens to them?"

"There was one once. We'd been at it for a while, but I didn't
realize that he was . . . that he had it as bad for me as he did.
He . . . He asked me to marry him, and I told him I didn't know,
that I had to think about it. When I got home the next morning, he
was . . . he was in my bed. He was . . . He was dead, Wolf." Tears
clouded both her vision and words. "And that's when I first met
Helvira."

"She killed him?" he questioned. "I've met her before on several
occasions, and none of them were very pleasant. I was with Jack
when he took Brendan away from her. She almost killed Jack, but I
managed to divert her weapon. I got this for my efforts." He
pointed to the scar that was on his right breast. "It was an awful
wound, but Jack stayed right with me and doctored me. He had his
hands full, because he had Brendan and myself and we were both out
of our heads. I'm not scared of the bitch for myself. I'm scared
of her hurting Jack or Brendan again. I was kind of . . . startled
to find out that she was your sister. Why didn't you tell me? Did
you think I'd turn against you?" He held on to her, knowing that
she would run from him if she could.

"Wolf . . . " Slowly, her eyes raised to met his again, and
questions shone past her tears that did not fall. "Wolf, if you
met her before, why didn't you think I was her? We look exactly
alike. We smell exactly alike. She's tricked many into thinking
that she was us. Mack thought that she was me; she screwed him
before killing him. She even tricked Jareth and almost succeeded
in not only killing him but taking over his Kingdom, as well."

"Maybe because of Gonk -- no four-leggers will get anywhere near
her -- and maybe because the wolf in me could tell that you were
not her? The spark in you wasn't the same. All the others she's
messed with are basically human to begin with. Only Brendan and I
were different. If he had met you with Gonk, he would have known
that you were not her, but Gonk was nowhere to be seen at his
first sighting of you."

Wolf looked around for Gonk and noticed that he was sitting by
Elvira's feet. "Thank you, Gonk, for bringing my lady to me."

"Now how I will tell you apart in the future, if Gonk's not
around, I don't know. Maybe we need some kind of special message
for each other, and when we meet, we whisper it to each other so
that no one else knows what it is? What do you think, love?"

She was still puzzled. "That's sort of what Jareth and Delvira use
now, so it'd probably work. But didn't you even think about her
when you saw me? You keep wondering why I didn't tell you, but how
was I supposed to know that you knew her? You could have mentioned
her just as easily as I could have."

"I pretended that you didn't look like her, that you were just
you. I didn't think that you had anything to do with her nor that
it was possible that she could track you down. She's always
hunting for Jack, so I would not have been surprised if she had
appeared behind or near him. If I had let my brain take over, I
would have probably ran away from you just in case you were her,
but I knew that Gonk would not be hanging with her and he seemed
to be glued to you when I found you. I also knew that she would
not be amongst the Witches needing rescuing. In fact, she was at
the auction; Jack fought with her again and took her heart."

She nodded. "I heard him telling Jareth about that. Wolf, I swear,
if I had known you knew her, I would have said something, but I
didn't! I had no way of knowing, and really, what am I supposed to
do, go running around and telling everybody I meet that hey,
knowing me could get them killed?"

"Let's put it behind us, darling. I have no intention of you
running around telling anybody anything about that bitch. I do
want to introduce you properly to Jack, though. I don't want him
to be drunk one night, spot you, and think that you're Helvira.
He'd kill you before I had the chance to defend you! Gods, you're
beautiful!" He breathed in her scent. "How could something so
awful as your sister be so like you? Was it a spell or perhaps a
curse? What did your parents tell you?"

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head. "Wolf, Delvira,
Helvira, and I are the only ones left of our family or, at least,
we are as far as we know. We didn't even know . . . Well, Delvira
and I didn't even know about each other growing up. I don't know
when Helvira learned of us."

"You're orphans?" he asked. "You're all Sorceresses. Perhaps your
parents were in danger and broke the three of you apart to protect
you. Whoever got a hold of Helvira must have been evil and raised
her to be evil." He held her close to him, so close that he could
feel her heartbeat against his. It was much slower than his. He
didn't know if that was because he was a wolf and his heartbeat
was faster than humans or because she was half-Vamp, but he did
know that her heartbeat reassured his own heart.

"Now, sweetheart, we're going to put your sister into the past.
I'm going to put you and what you're feeling now in the present. I
need to know how you feel about me. You reacted so strangely when
I said I love you that you must not feel that way about me, so I
want you to tell me what our relationship is to be."

There was a long pause before she finally spoke again. "Wolf, I .
. . I don't think I can do that, because I don't know myself. Like
I told you before, I've never had any one steady in my life except
for Delvira and Gonk. I'm not saying I'm a virgin, because I'm
not. Gods know I've been around, but it's never been as good as it
is with you and I've never really felt anything deeper than just
the basic Hey-I-like-you-let's-screw-each-other's-brains-out
before. But with you . . . " She raised her eyes to gaze into his.
"There's something different, something I've never felt before,
and I don't know what it is."

"Do you want me to go away?" His words stumbled out.

"No!" The exclamation slipped from her lips before he had even
finished his last word. "It'd probably be safer for you, but no. I
just . . . I don't know what's going on here." Her pale forehead
creased with confusion. "Just the thought of you burns me, but I
feel for you too."

"Just the thought of you burns me, as well, my love. I'm not going
anywhere, not unless you tell me to. Then it won't be far. I was
not a virgin when we met today. I was in love once, but she was
killed. I have not actively pursued females. I never felt
comfortable with it until we had what we had today. We fit
perfectly, as though our bodies were made for each other. I feel
very uncomfortable and my skin itches when I'm away from you, but
the closer I get to you, the more it centralizes into one big itch
that only you can scratch. In fact, I'm itching for you now, but I
don't want to rush you. I feel as though I should be satiated and
worn out, but I just can't seem to get enough. Yet we've cum
together every time. You fulfill my every need. You fill me with
more heat and passion than I've ever felt before. I fear that if I
lose you, I will shrivel up and die for after having lived with
you in my arms, only death would await me should I lose you." He
nibbled her ear.

Elvira had never been good at talking about feelings or even
considering them for that matter, but now, for Wolf, she tried.
"Wolf, when you were angry with me earlier, I -- I thought I'd
screwed up. I do a lot of that, and I don't usually care. I'm a
woman who tells the world to go to Hell unless I want something
from it at the moment. But . . . A while ago, when I thought
whatever's building between us had been lost, it hurt like a . . .
like a knife driven deep in my heart. I don't know what's going on
here. I don't know what these feelings are, but I know I don't
want to lose you."

"Shall we go to the crow's nest, darling? I don't want to share
you with the world, but I do want to swim within you again. I want
to dive so deeply into you that we are totally one!"

She smiled at him even as she slid closer, her hips cradling and
sliding against his sword. "Then you'd better hurry, lover," she
whispered against his lips before taking them with her own. Her
black nails dragged warningly against his pants.

"Wrap your legs around me; I'll carry you up," he murmured against
her lips.

Without wasting a single word more, she jumped up, her long legs
entwining around his waist. Her lips left his to begin a trail of
heated kisses down his neck.

He leaped toward the rigging and began pulling them towards the
crow's nest. Each time he moved upward, his sword surged against
her and grew even larger.

As they tumbled into the crow's nest together, Elvira's
fingernails again found his pants. This time, there was a popping
sound. Freed from the fabric, Wolf's sword sprang home.


_Chapter Thirty-three_
Piper stood in front of the shorter table that stood before two
long tables in the galley, her hands on her hips as she
thoughtfully surveyed what was set out before her. The plates,
silverware, and napkins, which she had had an extremely hard time
indeed in locating, waited at the beginning of the table while the
bourbon chicken started the actual meal. Next in line were the
strips of fried potatoes followed by the baked beans, biscuits,
and cornbread. An assortment of pies finished the line-up.
Everything looked appropriately delicious, and she could still see
the steam rising off of the food. She shook her head in silent
amazement at the remembrance of how Crystal's ice had kept the
food safe and her dragon had then heated it back up. She glanced
over at Lorne and Crys where they were busily fixing drinks on one
of the counters. "How are we coming?"

Lorne counted the drinks. "We're almost there, Miss Piper. In
fact, you could go ahead and ring the bell. It's over by the
door."

Piper nodded and was about to walk over to the bell when Joxer
rang it. He grinned at her. "You don't know how long it's been
since I got to do that!"

"I thought you were one of the cooks before?"

"I was, but they never came when I rang so I gave up on the bell
and figured they'd show up when they finally got hungry enough."

Piper did not speak again, but her gaze turned silently to focus
on the door. She hoped they would come this time and, more
importantly, that they would like the dinner she and the others
had created.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Autolycus had ran as far and fast as he could after getting away
from Xena. He felt lucky to be alive. He reached the place where
he had hidden the girls and pulled the canvas back. Still scared,
they were huddled under it together. "The Captain wants to see you
ladies," he informed them. "Did you keep my money safe?"

The blonde nodded, but the brunette told him, "Yes. We haven't
left from under here." She was watching him with an odd
expression, but Autolycus dismissed it as fear.

"We didn't think you were ever coming back," the redhead cried.

"Well, I had a lot to do," he admitted, "and I got into trouble
several times. Since I didn't reveal your whereabouts, the Captain
demanded that I fetch you." He gathered up the bundles that
contained coins and other loot and told the girls to come with
him. He was leading them to where he knew Xena had waited when he
heard the bells. He looked around in puzzlement. The bells never
went off unless there was a fight. At least, they had not in a
long time. Were they under attack? He looked around but didn't see
anything. The girls huddled so close to him that he could hardly
move without bumping into one of them.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was in the midst of a discussion about his plans for redoing
the sleeping quarters when the Witch's bells went off and he
snapped to attention. What in the world?! Were they under attack?
His hand reached immediately for his sword, but a quick surveyance
showed him that there were no other ships around. It could only be
one thing: the dinner bell. It had been such a long time since
he'd heard it that he had not recognized it. "I believe dinner is
served, Your Majesties."

Jareth nodded. "Perhaps we can continue the tour later tonight
after you've eaten?"

"You are welcome to stay to dinner. We have a new cook, and Gods
know I hope she's great! I can't remember the last time I ate
anything that was good!"

Jareth's eyes widened in surprise, and he interrupted Will without
realizing it. "Are . . . Are you sure?" he asked softly. The
thought of being allowed to sit down to a meal prepared by human
hands astonished him.

"But of course, Your Majesty," Jack replied with a smile. "You are
more than welcome to stay. It would be a pleasure to have you."

Jareth's smile lit up his face, and he squeezed Delvira with an
eagerness that she knew, for a change, had nothing to do with
their cabin. "That would be wonderful! Even if she can not cook as
well as you are used to, I know it will undoubtedly be far better
than anything I am used to! You have no ideal what having to eat
goblin food is like!"

"You have no ideal what it's like to eat food cooked by Joxer and
Autolycus, either. It's not fit for human consumption, so anything
Miss Piper can cook should be fine."

Will spoke up at that time. "I saw her appetizers, and if the rest
of her food tastes even half as good as they looked, we're in for
a treat." He smiled.

"Why didn't you eat some of them?" Jack asked him.

"I saved two, one for each of us," Will explained rather
sheepishly, "but . . . well . . . you know what happened when I
went to wake you up . . . "

"Oh," Jack said with a solemn look on his face.

Delvira's black eyes passed from one to the other as she wondered
if they were having trouble in the bedroom. "Anything we can help
with?"

"Huh . . . No," Jack answered. "We . . . just sort of discovered
each other and didn't get around to anything before the Bog, food
or otherwise. We'd better hurry. The crew are starving; they'll be
like pigs to a trough!"

Will shook his head, remembering the lady he'd met earlier that
day. "She certainly won't know how to deal with that."

Jack led the way as he almost ran to the galley. He had seen his
men in a hurry before when it came to something good to eat and
knew that they would not be thinking of anything but putting food
in their stomachs. He hoped they didn't panic Miss Piper.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadows filled the sleeping quarters of the Sea Witch. The only
light came from the flickering wicks of the lanterns that circled
the tubs at safe distances. Four hands reached out from the
shadows. Winks were exchanged as fingertips came closer to two
pairs of slender shoulders. They could practically feel the women
already, but it was then that the bells shattered the quietness.
Tom released an alien curse before he could stop himself, and
Morph's fist hit the air instead of grabbing his wife. "Not
again!"

The Lewis sisters quickly dried the children and slipped them into
clean shirts. Katrina had been surprised when she heard Tom almost
on top of her; it was the first time he had managed to get that
close without her total awareness of his presence. "Thanks, guys,
for helping get the water. Maybe you should go and check out what
we're fighting now? We've got to find somewhere to hide the kids
so they'll be safe. We'll join you as soon as we can."

Tom glanced at Morph, knowing that his friend was barely keeping
from bursting out from irritation, and quickly returned his
attention to Katrina and Celina. He nodded. "See you above, love."
Grabbing Morph's wrist, he pulled him with him towards the deck.

The very moment the men burst out above, Morph nearly exploded.
"Damn it! We're never going to get them to ourselves today!"

Tom glanced at him. "I'm just as frustrated as you are, but they
wouldn't like it."

"Just what the heck is going on?" Morph demanded, glaring out at
their surroundings. The realization that the day was practically
gone and they had yet to get any quality time alone with their
wives did nothing to help his mood. "I don't see anything!"

Tom's keen eyes could not produce any sign of danger, either. He
shook his head in confusion. "There isn't anything." It was then
that he caught sight of Brendan flipping over onto the Witch.
"Where's the emergency?" he called.

"Food!" the hungry Werewolf shouted back at him.

Tom shot the thought to Katrina even as he and Morph sped after
Brendan.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carrying the children, the Lewis sisters raced for the galley.
Even if they didn't get something to eat, the children needed to
be fed. Katrina noticed that the rest of the Pirates were also
running for the galley.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lex was lying, just holding Clark as his lover's head rested on
his chest, when they heard the bells going off. "Damn! We're under
attack!" he muttered.

Clark tensed. "The children -- " he started but stopped as quickly
as he had began. His muscles relaxed as his ears caught Brendan's
shout to Tom and Morph, and he couldn't help laughing.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Lex cried, worry sounding in his voice. Had
Clark finally flipped? "Please tell me what's wrong! What's so
funny?"

Clark turned his head so that he could look up into Lex's worried
eyes. His own shone with merriment. "It's just the dinner bell!"

"Thank Gods!" Lex said, breathing an audible sigh of relief.
"Let's go get something to eat. I can't remember when I ate last,
and if you and I are going to have some more time together, I need
something for energy."

Clark's eyes sparkled at that. "Then we'd better get moving . . .
even if I would rather dine on your lips." He whispered the last
part of his sentence against Lex's lips before taking his
beloved's sweet mouth with his own.

Lex reluctantly broke off the kiss, pulling Clark out of bed.
"We'd best go, or there won't be anything left to eat when we get
there." He kissed Clark one more time before quickly pulling him
along toward the galley.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Piper had still been gazing worriedly at the door when it suddenly
flew open with such force that Joxer was thrown into the wall.
"Sweetheart!" Phoebe screeched, trying to rush to his side but
being unable to make it there for the Pirates that poured through
the door. "Get out of my way!" she told them as she pushed against
the sea of bodies.

"Watch it, bitch!" Faith snapped as she felt a hand push against
her. "Touch me again, and you'll lose it!"

Phoebe ignored her as best she could as she finally broke through.
"Joxer, are you okay?!"

"I am . . . now that you're here . . . What happened?" He was
still having trouble breathing from being knocked into the wall.
"I've never seen anything like it!" he declared, shaking his head.

"That." Phoebe pointed to the Pirates that were converging on the
table of food like vultures to carrion. Then turning back to
Joxer, she reached out, took him into her arms, and cradled him.

Piper could not believe her eyes. She tried to back away, but at
just that moment, an elbow collided with her breast. "Sorry," some
one called to her even as Faith's mouth again flew open.

"Who the Hell left these here?" she demanded, picking up a pair of
boots that she had tripped over, sending her sprawling into the
man who had knocked Piper in turn.

"Huh . . . Me?" Crys quietly spoke up. "Sor -- "

"Well, watch where you strip next time, bitch!" Faith's eyes
blazed at her even as she tossed the boots toward the blonde.

Piper had just been recovering her balance when a footless boot
connected with her knee. She fell back a second time, but this
time, she found herself unable to catch her balance.

Cole had barely shimmered in to a world gone mad when he saw Piper
come hurtling back toward him. He managed to catch her. He yelled
at the top of his lungs, "STOP THIS MADNESS! STOP BEHAVING LIKE
PIGS!" His voice went unheeded. He was about to get on the table
and yell again when Wolverine did just that.

Wolverine jumped onto the one of the eating tables and yelled, "YA
SCURVY BILGE RATS, STOP ACTIN' LIKE ASSHOLES! THERE'S ENOUGH FOOD
TO GO AROUND FOR EVERYBODY, AN' YOU'VE DONE HURT THE COOK!" He was
even more furious with them than he would have normally been for
he had heard Ororo's gasp and seen the emotions in her eyes when
her goddaughter had been injured. "STOP IT AND BEHAVE OR YOU AIN'T
GETTIN' ANYTHIN' TO EAT!"

Brendan looked up at Wolverine's yell. A surprised whimper came
from around the chunk of cornbread in his mouth. Just what had
happened? He hadn't noticed anything, only the food.

It was at that moment that Jack entered the galley. He was
surprised at the chaos, never expecting his crew to act like
animals. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" he demanded. "THE NEXT ONE OF
YOU THAT CHARGES THAT TABLE LIKE A MANIAC ISN'T GETTING ANYTHING
TO EAT! THERE'S PLENTY OF FOOD FOR EVERY ONE, AND THERE WILL BE
ORDER IN HERE OR YE SHALL WALK THE PLANK, SAVVY?!" He glared
around at all of them, embarrassed that Jareth should see this
display of idiots.

To both Jack and Will's utter surprise, Jareth, having taken in
the scene, threw his head back in deep laughter. He quieted when
he caught their looks but explained, "I always thought goblins
were the only beings to act like that around food."

"Apparently not, Jareth. Pirates do the same thing, too. You owe
the cook an apology!" he said to the crowd. "The rest of you, get
in line." He felt like a father having to scold children. "And,
Wolverine, get off the table!" What in the Hell was wrong with
them?! Was everybody starving to death as badly as he was? Still,
that was no reason for poor manners! He watched as the crew slowly
got into line and turned baleful eyes on Piper, who was still
huddled against Cole. Cole held on to her, not just because he
liked the feel of her in his arms but also because he wanted her
to feel safe.

Like the others, Faith had fallen into line, but unlike them, she
had no intention of apologizing to any one. As it was, her anger
had risen to such a point that she gripped the plate she held with
whitened knuckles.

"Sorry, Miss Piper," the rest of the crew spoke as one. "We didn't
mean to act so . . . "

"Churlish," Wesley interjected.

Piper was about to answer them, though she was still glad for the
safety of Cole's arms around her, when a massive roar sounded,
echoing in the still galley. "What the Hell?!" Faith screeched,
having found a lioness a mere inch away from her side. Her hand
itched for her knife, but she knew the big cat would be able to
lunge before she could. Besides, she didn't want to kill a cat.
"Who brought this thing?!" Cindy roared again and stepped closer
to Faith.

"Faith, apologize," Angel told her. "The cat belongs to Crys, who
you insulted."

"Like Hell!" Faith snapped, bringing yet another angry growl from
Cindy. The lioness quickly closed the distance between the girl
and herself, licking her lips as she did so. "Fine! I'm sorry!"
Now even more furious, Faith turned. Slamming the plate down and
elbowing past Jack, she stormed out.

Cindy started to follow, but Crystal's quiet voice stopped the
lioness in her tracks. "Cindy."

As the lioness padded silently back over to her mistress and the
crew breathed a collective sigh of relief, Piper turned her
attention back to them. She was nervous about addressing them, but
the reassurance of Cole's arms around her gave her the courage.
"Thank you for the apology, gentlemen and ladies." She wanted to
say more but held her tongue even as she wondered if they would
like the food and hoped they would.

Jack picked up a plate and began to help himself slowly from the
table. It all smelled and looked delicious. He walked over to the
end of the empty table and sat down, waiting for the others to
join him. He looked up at the line to see what was holding the
others. Jareth and Delvira were headed toward him, but Will was at
the end of the line. Jack did not like that. He thought he should
have grabbed him and would the next time. He'd have to speak to
Will. Will would have to be more assertive if he was going to take
his place beside Jack in the men's eyes.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prue had stationed herself beside the desserts to make sure that
no one got into them before every one had a chance to have
something to eat. She smiled at the men but continued to hold her
wooden spoon. If any of them got after the pies, she'd hit them.

Brendan reached the end of the table only to find himself faced
with pies that looked so delicious that they made his mouth water
and the very woman who he had been trying to avoid and who now
wielded a spoon as if it were a weapon. His eyes widened as he
looked at her in innocent surprise.

"Doctor Richards," Prue addressed him, "you can't have pie until
you've eaten everything on your plate. Pie is a reward for
cleaning your plate." She smiled at him.

Her smile brought a faint smile to Brendan's own lips. "I assure
you, madam, that will not be a problem."

It was then that a voice piped up from somewhere behind Brendan's
knees. "That ain't fair!" Carl complained.

"It might not be fair, Carl," Prue returned, looking at him, "but
there's enough pie to go around and unless I see a clean plate,
you're not getting any." Secretly she planned to find out which
pie Brendan picked; she was going to hide a whole pie just for
him. "Now go eat your food like a good Gnome."

Carl glared up at her. "It better be better than Joxer's!"

"Don't look at me like that; I didn't cook it," Prue told him.
"Piper did, and everything Piper cooks is a feast."

Brendan watched Prue quietly. "Did you not cook a single thing
here, milady?"

"Yes," she admitted, her eyes turning back to his, "the cornbread.
It's the only thing I know how to cook."

His smile dared to grow even as his eyes met hers. "I thought I
smelled your scent on it, and it is quite delicious." His thumb
brushed over what remained of his first piece of cornbread. The
innocent motion sent shivers down Prue's back as she imagined his
hand on her skin instead.

Behind Brendan, Carl rolled his eyes and, with a muttered oath,
walked off. Werewolves in love! What was next?! It was then that
he caught sight of the redhead and nearly dropped his plate.

Paige was trying very hard to be a lady and not look at the
Pirates as they trooped slowly by the table, but when her eyes
finally caught sight of the little fellow, she knew any hope of
maintaining her act was lost. She'd already had a Leprechaun and
wondered how different a Gnome would be. There was one thing Paige
would never go for, and that was an ordinary man. There had to be
something mystical about them, or they simply weren't exciting
enough to rise her blood!

Carl stared at Paige. Was she actually looking at him? He glanced
behind him but didn't see any one.

Paige continued gazing at him, touched her tongue to her top lip,
and licked it.

Carl barely managed to silence his groan even as he shot up. He
started to hurry towards her but was stopped by a quiet voice. "Do
you think she'd mind?"

"Huh?" Carl turned his head to find Hoggle looking at him with
questions in his eyes. "She's not looking at you! She's looking at
me!"

"Who's looking at you?"

"Paige!"

Hoggle sho

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