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
running it.
Warnings: Abuse, Death, Lemon, Nudity, 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 Nine
Left alone with the beautiful Princess, Angel began to become
increasingly nervous even as his loins became more heated. He knew Jack was
right and that the Princess would only be safe once she was on the other side of
Jack's door. He smiled at her. "Would you like to rest for a while, Cordelia?
The Captain said you may use his quarters. I've never been in there, but I am
sure they are the best accommodations on the ship."

She was tired but did not want to sleep nor, she realized as her hazel
eyes turned from the water to look back up at the dashing Pirate who had rescued
her, did she wish to be parted from this man any time soon. It was strange, but
although they had just met, she already felt safer around him than she had since
her father had changed and began to look at her as a young adult instead of a
child. "Perhaps later," she answered softly. "Thank you."

"We should retire there. I won't leave you if you don't want me to," he
said as though he had read her thoughts, "but you could lay on the bed and
rest." He knew he might be getting into troubled waters over his head, but she
looked as though she was about to fall out and he couldn't bare the thought of
that. "It's this way," he said, walking over to a door that looked like all the
rest. He opened it and stepped back, allowing her to enter. He hoped Jack did
not get mad that he was about to be in his Captain's room, but he did say that
the Princess was to be there and since she did not want to leave him, he
couldn't see any other way to get her there.

Cordelia started to follow, but as she reached the door, a thought
occurred to her. Despite his heroicness, Angel was not the Captain and might
well get into trouble for accompanying her into chambers that he would not
normally be allowed in. She stopped beside him and, looking up, spoke softly,
"Please do not allow yourself to get into trouble on my account. Should the
Captain ask, tell him . . . " She paused, considering their choices. Knowing
that there were not many, she took the only one she truly saw. Although it would
hinder the reputation of any lady, she did not care. "Tell him I requested your
presence should he ask. That, I hope, will alleviate you of any possible
negative consequences."

He smiled down into her eyes. "Fair lady, the Captain told me to make
sure that you were comfortable and well taken care of, and I intend to do that."
He did not add 'only that'. "Although you do request my presence, there may come
a time when I have to leave you, but I will not be far. The Captain has never
forbade me entry. I just never wanted to encroach on his privacy. He is a very
private man," and he added almost as an afterthought, "and a very lonely man. He
is basically good at heart and will help you any way he can, but his mischievous
side gets him into trouble often. All in all, he is a great Captain and an even
greater friend. He will not mind." {As long as I behave myself,} he added to
himself.

"Good," Cordelia returned with a satisfied nod and smile. She passed
through the doorway and was surprised to find herself in what, at first glance,
appeared to be a normal bedroom. Indeed, had there not been swords hanging above
the bed and dresser and on one of the walls, she would never have thought she
was in a Pirate's cabin. A black curtain hung over what she presumed to be the
dresser's mirror, and she gave it a curious glance as she looked the room over.
A bookcase stood in one corner in a silent reminder to her that pirates were, as
far as she could tell thus far, nothing like so many people thought. It was
filled almost entirely with books save the top shelf that held several rolled-up
maps. She wondered what those maps looked like for she knew they must lead to
treasure and had never seen a real treasure map before. What surprised her most
about the room, however, was its neatness. Though he had impressed his kindness
upon her, she certainly would not have thought the Captain gave even one gold
coin to cleanliness yet the room seemed in near perfect condition. The bed
actually looked as if it had never been slept on, and everything else appeared
to be in its rightful place, as well.

Angel followed closely behind Cordelia, closing the door behind him. He
was in awe of the Captain's room. He had never known Captain Jack to be overly
concerned with neatness yet this room could have been in a rich man's house. It
was not only neat and orderly, but it was clean! Since when was the Captain so
concerned with cleanliness? he wondered. Then he remembered how many times a
week Jack insisted on bathing. {Must be preparing for something,} he thought to
himself. {Too many baths are not good for you.}

Although Jack insisted on his crew taking at least one bath a week, most
of them never took more than that. In fact, there had been times when the catman
had had to be picked up and bodily thrown into the water; most of those times,
his wife had been the one doing the throwing. Angel's keen sense of smell was
very appreciative of Jack's abilities to make sure that every one kept some
cleanliness to their bodies for he had found body odors to be extremely
offensive in the hottest summers. Indeed, if not for the weekly baths, he would
probably not have survived the stench.

He was surprised to see that the Captain had books for to hear the
Captain talk, he was not an overly educated man. He was beginning to wonder just
how much of the Captain was real and how much he did to affect his outward
appearance to the world. Did any of them really know the man behind Captain Jack
Sparrow? Angel didn't think so.

He walked over and stood by the bed. "This looks extremely comfortable,
Cordelia. Why don't you lay down on it? I'll take your shoes off."

Normally, she would have balked at any man's suggestion that she lay
down, but she knew Angel was only being a gentleman looking out for her best
interests. She smiled at him as she crossed the room and sat down on the bed.
She hoped having her shoes taken off was not too close to having the royal
treatment she was accustomed to, but just the thought of Angel's hands being so
close to her skin sent a secret thrill coursing through her. She had seen the
look upon his face when he had entered the cabin behind her and commented
softly, in a small attempt to change the subject, "I noticed you also seemed
surprised by your Captain's chambers."

"Captain Jack always puts an outward appearance -- well, the way you saw
him today before he changed into the fancy finery, just an ordinary man who can
be silly at times, but this looks like a gentleman's room. There's not too many
gentlemen aboard the Pearl. We have a code of ethics that Jack wrote up, and I
wondered about that at the time I signed up. Most Pirate ships don't have
ethics, but then most Pirates don't have ethics."

Cordelia started to tell Angel that the ethics of he and his friends she
had already met that day were clearly visible in both their heroic actions and
their mannerisms where a lady such as herself was involved. Indeed, she'd met
many of society's supposedly finer gentlemen who had not even had as much of a
thimble of the manners Angel, Brendan, and their Captain had. Angel continued
before she could speak, however.

"If Jack finds out that any of his men don't have ethics, they had
either better soon develop them or they will walk the plank. He tolerates no
bull when it comes to ladies yet I hardly ever see him with one." He said the
latter hoping Cordelia was not getting ideals about his Captain; he wanted her
all to himself. "Before today, I have never seen Jack in those fancy clothes. I
didn't even know he had them! He must have bought them for the wedding!"

Cordelia's gaze snapped to Angel's in surprise. "The wedding?" she
repeated questioningly.

"Of his best friend and the Governor's daughter. But then the Governor
turned out to be two-faced. You sure you want to hear all this? It's a long
story." Even as he talked, he was unlacing her boots and slipping them from her
feet.

His fingers brushing against her feet as he slipped her boots off sent
sparks racing through her. Had her curiosity not been so piqued, she would have
wondered what his hands would feel like on the rest of her body. "Yes, please. I
noticed the way he took off so hurriedly with the other gentleman. He seemed
quite upset, and I was concerned. You all have already been so nice to me that I
would hate to see anything happen to any of you." Realizing that she was being
what society would consider to be too bold, she blushed slightly and amended
with a jesting smile, "Besides, it is not as if we are going anywhere any time
soon."

Angel thought for a minute. Where should he begin to tell the tale? "On
our last journey to regain the Pearl that had been stolen from the Captain, the
Captain met Will. Will went on the journey with us in order to rescue the
Governor's daughter, who he was in love with. Jack ended up rescuing both of
them and returning them safely to Port Royal. Despite all the good deeds that
Jack did, the Governor was still going to hang Jack because he was a Pirate. He
would have succeeded if Will had not saved him."

"The Governor's daughter is beautiful. Will is handsome," Angel said,
nodding his head slightly. "They fit good together." He did not add that Jack
was in love with Will even though he knew it and that they would make a much
better pairing. "The Governor's daughter talked her father into giving amnesty
for one day so that we could sail into the harbor for their wedding. We came
only to find that the Governor was a lying, two-faced . . . " He didn't finish
the sentence.

"He betrayed his daughter's love and trust by having his soldiers beat
up Will on the morning of their wedding and sell him into slavery. Captain Jack
has rushed off to save Will. If things were going like they should, at least
half the crew would have went with him. As it is, Brendan and I returned to tell
Jack what had happened only to find that there was no one aboard the ship but
Jack, you, and your father's guards. I really hated for him to run off with just
Brendan. I should be there, but I need to be here worse. I have no clue as to
where the crew ran off to but trust that they will soon return."

His eyes kept getting drawn to the swords. He knew where they came from,
and he knew who made them. He also knew he'd better not touch a single one of
them or Jack would know it and would probably have his head for it, but his
hands itched to stroke even one of them. They were beautifully made with
excellent craftsmanship. Each one of them would be a prize to own, and yet he
knew that the maker had no clue as to where his swords had gone. {You sly fox,}
he thought, thinking of Jack.

Cordelia's gaze followed Angel's to the swords, and she wondered why he
was looking at them as if each was a willing, beautiful woman just waiting for
his caress. {It must be a Pirate thing,} she thought to herself with a shrug of
her slender shoulders. As she looked back down, her mind returned to all that
Angel had just told her. "I can not imagine how any father could be so heartless
as to sell his daughter's love into slavery," she admitted. "I know there are a
lot of awfully horrid things that go on in this world, but that . . . " Her
voice trailed off into a shudder. How could any father betray his daughter so
much, but then another part of her wondered as sadness flickered in her hazel
eyes, how could any father do to his daughter what hers had done to her?

"I never trusted the Governor," Angel said, "and neither did Jack. I
think that if the Governor had not given amnesty for this day, Jack would have
come alone. Will means that much to him. Elizabeth never said much about her
father, but I always thought they had a normal father-daughter relationship. Now
I think it could have been more." He didn't say what more, allowing her to think
what she would, but the emotions that flickered in her eyes surprised him,
telling him that she understood far more.

"Jack figured we might have to fight our way out of here, but everything
was peaceful when we came in. Our sister ship is not as well-known as we are,
and since we are both flying the English flag for this day, no undue attention
was drawn to her. She is berthed not far from us, and her Captain is one to
fear. Still, we were alert but never in a million years, would we have expected
what we found."

"The look on Jack's face when we told him was almost more than I could
bare. I think he flipped. He went ahead and dressed as though he was going to
the wedding, as you saw, and then he took the strangest sword I've ever seen."
He paced to and fro in the cabin nervously, trying to remember if he had seen
any crew members from the Witch in a while. Where could they be? What had drawn
all their members away? Did the Governor have them or, even worse, could they be
dead?

Cordelia watched Angel pacing in great concern. She knew he wanted to go
help his friend and also knew that the Captain would most likely need his aid.
She stood and was about to walk over to Angel when something white falling
outside the one window in the room caught her eye. She looked at it, and her
mouth opened in a round circle in surprise. "I did not realize it snowed in Port
Royal at this time of the year," she commented quietly.

"Snow?" Angel asked with disbelief on his face. "I've never known it to
snow in Port Royal. It's usually too hot. This is indeed a strange day!" He
looked out the window and could see the entire harbor and out to the ocean. He
longed to be out there. Even though it had its dangers, he still felt safer out
there than he did here.

It was then that his attention was drawn to a small box ornately
decorated that sat in the center of the table. He walked over, lifted the lid,
and looked inside. He gasped when music came from the little box. Looking
inside, he spied a key and a note. He lifted both the box and its treasure and
carried it to Cordelia. "Please," he begged with his eyes, "read to me what it
says."

Her hazel eyes widened as she looked up into Angel's begging eyes. This
man was constantly surprising her more and more. "Of course," she replied with a
reassuring smile. Her fingertips brushed over his hand as she reached for the
paper. She had meant to take the note from him to read it, but instead she found
her hand closing gently around his as she began to read the note. "For two of my
very best friends, I hope the happiness that you find on this day will be the
beginning of the happiness you will share in your life together. If you ever
need me, send word and I will come." Her eyes lifted back to Angel's as she
finished with a statement of the obvious, "It is signed by your Captain."

"Thank you," Angel said. "I often wish I could read, but unfortunately,
I can not read or write. It gets embarrassing sometimes. My Father was a vicar,
but the only thing he ever taught me was abuse. He worked me from sun up to sun
down and abused my Mother, my sister, and me. I hated him." He figured she'd
recoil from him when he admitted, "I killed him."

"I was out working in the field and cut my hand. I went home to get it
seen to. I found my Mother dead, my Father's knife embedded in her heart. I
recognized the knife. I pulled it out, closed her eyes gently, and kissed her.
The bastard would pay for that."

His eyes glazed over as he became lost to his memories, his mouth moving
as of its own accord. "It was then I heard my sister scream. I ran, but I was
too late. The bastard was deeply embedded in her and was pumping away. He didn't
know I was there. It was then I realized, as I stabbed him through his black
heart, that he had killed my sister by strangling her even while he was raping
her." He was wrapped in his memories, and his pain showed in his face, his hands
clenching by his side.

"I snatched him from her, and I stabbed him over and over and over
again. His blood was all over me, and still it wasn't enough. I carried my
Mother and sister to the field and buried them, and then I burnt him in the
house. Of course, the villagers all thought I had gone crazy and killed
everybody. After all, they would never expect a man of God to go berserk. Bloody
bastard!"

He had forgotten that Cordy was there. As he remembered being chased,
his words just tumbled out of his mouth. The villagers' screams that they would
kill him and feed him to the fishes echoed in his head. They had caught him, had
him at the stake, and were about to burn him alive when, like an avenging Angel,
Jack had appeared out of nowhere, cutting him free, saving him, and taking him
far away with the town in flames behind them. "I've been with him ever since."
He remembered the flames licking at his skin, and he groaned aloud.

He was scaring her, but though terror blanched her face, she did not
fear him. Rather she feared for him. She knew he'd forgotten that she was there
and that he did not remember anything save the memories of that time. She also
knew she needed to snap him out of his past, though he would be horrified when
he realized all that he had just revealed to her. Taking a deep breath, she laid
a gentle hand on his cheek. "Angel?" she called as though he were asleep.

"Oh my Gods! Beautiful lady, I did not mean to run off like that, but I
haven't been touched by such a gentle hand, not since my Mother! I am sorry if I
scared or sickened you." He breathed deeply but did not move from her touch.

"You did neither," she was quick to reassure him with a shake of her
head. "I am just . . . " Her words failed her, but she tried again. "I am
honored to remind you of your mother, Angel, but I am so sorry that you went
through what you did." His eyes and face were still filled with such emotion
that she only wanted to comfort him, and to her surprise, Cordelia found herself
stepping closer to him. Her hands dropped from his face and hand so that her
arms could circle his body as she dared to hug him gently. "No one should have
been put through such."

His arms slipped around her, and he held her gently. This woman was
driving him crazy, making him feel things he had never felt before, and making
him want things that he knew were impossible! The smell of her hair was so
heavenly that he just wanted to gobble her up. Before he could stop himself, he
nuzzled her neck gently.

What could he, a lowly Vampire Pirate, offer such a beautiful woman?
He'd had women before, many of them, but not in a while. He had had them in many
ways, but none of them stirred his blood like this dark-haired beauty. He
realized that he had best let her go before he followed his instincts and did
something that they both would regret.

"Thank you, beautiful lady, for your gentleness and understanding." He
regretfully began to let go of her when his eyes caught a mark on her neck. He
recognized it as what it was. "When?" he asked her. "Who?" He knew the mark had
been burnt on her. He would kill the bastard who did it. He did not let go of
her.

She froze in his arms when she heard his questions, and her heart
thundered so loudly that it seemed to her to fill the room. She had never meant
to reveal what her father had done, the real reason why she had ran away from
home. When she opened her mouth, she released a breath of air that she had not
even been aware of holding. "What?" she tried to ask innocently, but her voice
trembled. She bit her bottom lip, knowing already what the answer would be.

"Whatever bloody bastard put his mark on you, I will kill him! If he
hurt you more, I'll make him eat it! But I don't understand. I can see it's a
King's ring. Your father?" He was still holding her and not looking into her
face. Her heartbeat sounded as loud as thunder in his ears. "Why would your
father put his brand on you? Was it him?"

She knew she could not lie to him. "Yes," she forced herself to answer
in another deep breath. "I tried to fight him, but he would not have it. I'd
already hated him for trying to force me off on Prince after Prince, but when he
decided I was to marry the captain of his guards instead, I thought it couldn't
get any worse. Gods, was I ever wrong," she said dryly. "He wanted me to marry
Groo so that I would remain accessable to him and he could . . . he could take
me whenever he wanted."

"I tried to fight him, Angel. I tried," she repeated, whimperingly,
again as tears welled in her hazel eyes, "but he tied me to the bed so that I
could not move! That mark was meant to remind me that I was his daughter and, as
such, . . . his property to do with as he liked!" Her tears slipped from her
eyes, racing down her cheeks and falling onto his shoulder.

He squeezed her just a little tighter. "I will kill the bastard! You
need not ever fear him again. If any man ever touches you again and you don't
want to be touched, you have but to tell me. They will not live long enough to
see the next day. No one as beautiful and gentle as you are should ever have had
to undergo something like this! I am sorry." He tilted her chin upward and
swabbed gently at her tears with his thumbs. "I will protect you, my lady, if
you will allow me to. No one will ever hurt you again."

Before Angel even knew what was happening, his lips had plunged
downwards onto hers, but he did not defoul her mouth. He gently pledged his
undying loyalty to her. He felt a tremble go through her body, and he figured it
was because he had forgotten himself. Though her lips parted under his, he was
still about to release her when he heard some one calling. He didn't want to let
her go, but he had to take care of this business.

"I will be back. Some one's on the ship." He withdrew quickly, leaving
Cordelia holding the music box. {Gods, what a woman,} he thought, {and how lucky
I am to know her and to escape without getting slapped!} He almost had to laugh
at the times poor Jack had been slapped, and for most of the time, not even
knowing what he was being slapped for. At least, had it happened to him, he
would have known. He slipped out the cabin door, closing it softly behind him.

Behind him, Angel left a strong woman quivering like a leaf in a gale.
Cordelia trembled not from fear or the sadness that had threatened to engulf her
until Angel had touched her face to wipe her tears away and spoken so sweetly to
her. Rather, she shook from the intense passion that his kiss had sent coiling
through her body and shooting through her every core like a million fiery stars.

Princess Cordelia Chase had been kissed by many a Prince and even once
or twice, since leaving home, by men on the streets who had tried, and
thankfully failed, to take her without her permission. She had even been kissed
by a few members of royalty who were supposedly among the best kissers her part
of the world had to offer. Yet never had she been kissed like Angel had just
kissed her! Never had she felt such passion! It threatened to engulf her, and
her every fiber ached to allow it to do precisely that. Her lips parted in a
longing sigh even as she heard a stranger's voice speak to Angel outside the
cabin door.



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

Angel had thought he recognized the voice, and sure enough, it was
Elizabeth.

The instant she had heard a door open, Elizabeth had whirled in its
direction. She looked in surprise at Angel as he stepped out of Jack's cabin and
wondered what in the world he had been doing in there and why he looked as if he
were dying for oxygen. Her brow creased, but she did not bother to ask him.
Instead, she leapt right to the point. "The Captain and two of the other crew
have gone after Will. I am to go with you when you set sail, and he told me to
tell the rest of you to prepare and be ready to sail the minute he gets here."

"I have no ideal where the rest of the crew is, Elizabeth. Two of the
crew are with the Captain?" he asked, remembering what she had said. "Who?"

"The doctor, Brendan, and that Faith."

"Good," Angel said. "I can stop worrying so much about him; Faith won't
let anything happen to him." He thought for a minute and figured the safest
place for Elizabeth would be in the cabin with Cordelia. "I am guarding another
lady," he told her. "She's in Jack's cabin with Jack's permission. The safest
place for you will be with her. I will stay out here and guard you. Please be
nice to her. Her name is Cordelia, and she's had a hard time."

Elizabeth nodded. She knew her place and understood why they were
determined to keep her safe. Given her father's orders, if any of the guards
were to spot her on the ship, they would all be doomed. As she slipped past
Angel into Jack's cabin, she wondered about Cordelia. Had the Pirate Captain
finally found a woman, or was she the reason why Angel had seemed in such a need
for air?



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

Cordelia was just placing the box back onto the table where Angel had
taken it from when she heard the door open and shut again. "Angel . . . " she
started as she turned to face the person, but her voice died in her throat when
she found a blonde woman standing there instead.

"He's outside."

Cordelia's forehead creased, and her hazel eyes narrowed as she looked
in suspicion at the blonde. "Who are you?"

"My name is Elizabeth. I am . . . "

"I know," Cordelia spoke softly, "and I am sorry for your loss."

Elizabeth smiled sadly at the other woman. "Thank you." Cordelia nodded
but did not speak again as her eyes turned to the door behind Elizabeth. Why was
Angel still out there? He had said he would return, so why hadn't he? Was he
running from her?



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

Angel raked his brain, trying to think of some one he could send to find
the crew. It dawned on him that the only being that could carry this mission off
and was available was King Meesy. Rather or not King Meesy would do it for him,
he didn't know. He could only try.

Angel climbed up onto the top of Jack's cabin so that he could see over
to the other ship. Calling just loudly enough to be heard over at the Sea Witch,
he called, "King Meesy, please show yourself! I have a mission for you! I need
your help desperately!"

Angel was rewarded when a cat bounded onto the Sea Witch's railing. The
large cat's fur was already ruffled by the cold winds that were blowing, and
snow sparkled amongst his chocolate and cream fur. Deep blue eyes peered out
from a chocolate face as he looked expectantly at Angel, clearly waiting for an
explanation.

"I have two ladies whom I have to guard. There's no one else. Captain
Jack requests that all crew members return to the ship immediately and prepare
for sailing. The Governor has betrayed Will and Elizabeth. Jack has gone to
rescue Will, who the Governor had sold into slavery. We must be ready when they
return! Please help!" he begged the furry feline.

Meesy cocked his head to one side as he listened carefully to Angel, and
when the Pirate was done speaking, the cat nodded. He disappeared from sight
then, but it was only a few seconds before Angel saw a blur of cream and
chocolate streaking down the dock. He hoped it would not take King Meesy long to
locate the others. He admired the cat greatly for he had seen many things
seemingly impossible accomplished by the furry feline. In fact, there was no
other cat alive who could hold a candle to King Meesy, and if Angel only knew
half the things Meesy could do, he would never believe them. The Lewis sisters
had chosen well in their choice of a familiar. He knew the crew would be coming
soon and set about doing what he could to prepare the ship even as his mind
turned back to Jack and Will and he wondered what was happening.



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

Darkness continued to engulf his world as Will Turner slowly came to.
The first thing that he became aware of was that somebody was moving his face
and pushing and pulling his jaw and cheeks. He had never felt their touch before
and knew instantly that it was neither Jack nor Elizabeth for he would recognize
either's touch immediately. No, this person was some one who had no business
touching him. He tried to pull away from their touch, but something held him in
place.

He was still too groggy to fight whatever was restraining him, but the
rattling sounds his restraints made as he tried to move told him that they were
chains. He moved his wrists, and the same rattling sounds met his ears. Fear
began to encroach upon his heart. He was chained, his hands and feet shackled to
a wall, but who was touching him and where was he?

It was then that Will suddenly felt thumbs forcing his lips apart and
fingers poking into his mouth. His eyes flew open as he reacted with instinct,
biting down on the fingers so hard that he felt the copper taste of blood
trickle onto his tongue. "Hey!" a sharp voice commanded. "Nae bitin' the
customers!" Though Will had already released the stranger's fingers and was
about to spit out the blood in disgust, a fist plowed into his gut.

"Hey now!" exclaimed the first stranger. "I may like violence, but I
will not pay for injured merchandise!" The man wore a tophat, was dressed in a
fine suit, and carried a cane that he had no need for. To those who only passed
him on the streets, he appeared to be an astristocratic gentleman, but Will
already knew that a monster lurked behind that facade.

"Oh," the second quickly backpaddled as he stepped away from Will.
"Well, hum, in that case, nae free nips." He was a short man, but his stocky,
muscular build more than made up for what he lacked in height. His gray hair was
pulled back in a limp ponytail, and his clothes and skin were covered in so much
grime that one could easily tell he had not had a bath all year.

The first man ignored the second as he returned his attention to Will.
His dark eyes hungrily roved the younger man's body even as he licked the blood
that trickled from his wound. "Fine set of gnashers you have," he commented more
to himself than to Will, "but I wonder how you are when it comes to the sheets."
No sooner had he made the comment than his hand swiped out and grabbed Will in
between the legs.

Will's education failed him completely as he growled savagely at the man
while struggling desperately to break free of his chains and the stranger's
grip. His legs jerked toward him, but the stranger remained just out of his
reach and completely unfazed by Will's struggles. Instead, he squeezed the
blacksmith's sword. Will's yell echoed through the stalls, and his brown eyes
flashed on black. Still, however, he could not reach him.

"Oh, yes," the man purred aloud as he finally withdrew his hand. The
hand that had groped him was the same one that Will had bitten. Now the stranger
brought it to his face. He sniffed it first, then licked his fingers one by one.
Sounds of satisfaction emitted from the depths of his throat as he licked each
one that had groped Will through his clothes, and his eyes shone with eager
anticipation. "I'll enjoy breaking you," he continued lustfully, "very much."
His hand again grabbed the boy's member, and as he squeezed it hard, he
finished, his fingers playing over Will's sword as if it were a new instrument
meant only for him, "And very, very soon."

"I'll never -- " Will started to growl out, but the man cut him off.

"Oh, but you will -- for the right price, of course," he added with a
meaningful look at the other man in the stall. "And once you're mine, I'll do
with you exactly what I want." He squeezed Will again before releasing him and
turning to go.

Will spit, but the man did not even appear to notice the spittle that
struck the back of his head. "I'll never be yours, you bastard!" He cussed the
man in more words than he'd even known he knew, only then realizing that he must
have picked up even more than he'd thought from Jack, but the man only laughed.

As the laughter that made Will cringe faded into the distance, Will
turned back to the other man. He tried a different tactic with him. "You must
release me immediately! My name is William Turner, and I am to marry the
Governor's daughter this day!"

The laughter that met Will's ears this time was huge and shook both the
man's portly belly and the walls of the stall that surrounded them. "Right!
Don't you think I know that the Governor himself was the one who had you sent to
us? Good one, kid, but you're not getting out of here!" His laughter had stopped
now, and he shrugged as he added, "Just be glad you'll probably only be sold for
sex."

Will looked at him puzzledly. "You sell humans for another purpose?" Did
he even want to know? "Work?"

"Well, aye, there's that," the man admitted, "but I was talkin' more
about eatin'."

Lines of confusion drew together on Will's forehead. "Food? You mean to
say you sell chefs?" That couldn't be right.

"Of course not. Humans to eat." Will wanted to think the man was joking,
but he knew from his serious tone and surprised face that he was not. Will's own
face paled. There were human beings that ate humans? Or could the legends of
Vampires be true? Shivers raced through him as more fear than he'd ever felt for
his own self crashed through him. Indeed, he had only been more afraid than he
was now once in his life, and that had been when he had thought his beloved Jack
had been dealt a fatal blow.

"Damn," his seller commented, letting out a low whistle as he took in
his stock's paled face. "Ye are an innocent! I better gi tell the bosses that.
It'll bring ye a higher price."

Will did not realize when the man left. His terrified heart was pounding
so loudly in his ears that he could hear nothing else, and his surroundings
whirled around him at a blinding rate. Even if he could somehow manage to break
free of his chains and gain a weapon, there were bound to be far too many slave
holders and guards for him to ever make it out alive, but if he did not somehow
find a way out of this nightmare, he would meet a fate worse than death. Rather
it was at that sick man's hands or another's did not matter. It was hard enough
to pretend with Elizabeth, but at least she was gentle and truly cared about
him. These people were strangers, and he was but meat to any of them.

Jack! his heart cried. Jack would find him! He would save him! But no,
his brain argued, Jack did not even know where he was. No one except the
Governor and two of his guards knew. Besides, why would Jack risk his neck again
for him? Will knew he would not for as much as he loved him, Jack was still a
pirate. He would gain nothing from saving his undeserving hide this time, so he
would not risk his life.

Tears finally welled in the blacksmith's eyes as the source of his fear
changed. No longer was he terrified of what would happen to him if he was sold
or tried and failed to escape. The fear that filled his very core with ice was
the knowledge that he would never again see the man he loved. He would never
again have a chance to tell Jack the truth. Tears slipped down his face as Will
realized that he would not even know if he might have stood a chance, no matter
how slim, of somehow, some way gaining the pirate's love, of having his love
returned, of knowing what Jack's lips on his own truly felt like instead of only
what he imagined them to feel like. Will bit back a sob. He would never see Jack
again.


Chapter Ten
As the sound of Will's scream pounded upon Jack's ears, despite the
raucousness of the market, he knew it was Will. His hands clenched at his side,
and with teeth gritted, he spat, "I'll kill the bastards! Whoever touches him,
I'll kill them, and they'll die painfully!"

The only good thing about Will's scream was that now they knew where he
was, and it was taking everything Jack could do to hold himself back. If the
scream had been repeated, nothing would have held him back, and his carefully
thought-out plan would have been for naught. He stood between Brendan and Faith
in his wedding finery, looking like a rich man with nothing better to do with
his day than shop for a new slave. The two in his attendance were not enough for
a man such as himself.

Occasionally he lifted his hanky to his nose and sniffed as though the
very air itself was rotten to his most perfect body. At least, that's what Jack
hoped he was putting out. Ordinarily, he would never have been caught dead in
clothes like these, but he had not wanted Will to be ashamed of his appearance
and had paid a tailor good money to make his clothes. It cost a pretty penny,
but it was worth it as they fit in perfectly and made him look the part he
hoped. Heads turned to look at him. Women oogled him, and he paid no attention
to any of them. When he finished with his hanky, he tucked it back into the cuff
of his shirt each time.

He continued to inch closer to where Will was being held, looking
nothing like himself but feeling even more piratish. He would kill any that
touched Will after he had rescued him. He marked the fine-looking gentleman who
left the stall where Will was being held. {I'll get ya later, bastard.}

He began to glance around, looking for escape exits in case they were
cut off from the tent flap. He saw several people that he knew were of
respectable society and had never expected to see there. He would not have been
surprised to see the Governor there, scum that he was. He was probably the prime
source behind the trafficking of this business. He would not have been surprised
to see it at Tortuga, but in a town such as Port Royal, he would have thought
the authorities would have been arresting the merchants and not petting them on
the back, looking for a hand-out. As it was, he saw several of the Governor's
guards in the crowd themselves. All were eyeing the merchandise, and many were
already testing various ones. It made him sick to his stomach to realize that
this kind of thing was not only going on but seemed to be prospering. He kept
his eyes riveted on the stall, watching the buyers walk in and out.

He even saw a couple of the Governor's guards come in and out and
noticed that each was checking their money after they left the stall. He knew
the competition was going to be hot and heavy for Will. He had not realized that
there were so many men who were interested in their own gender until he saw how
many went in to check on Will.

Then his heart stood still in his mouth. He saw her! {My Gods! The bitch
is here! If she recognizes me, there will be Hell to pay.} "Brendan," he
whispered, "look. It's -- " He didn't finish the sentence. He knew he didn't
have to for the flash of Brendan's eyes and the low growl that answered him told
him the wolf remembered her all too well.

Once upon a time, Helvira and Jack had come face to face in a duel to
the death, and Jack thought he had killed the bitch. In fact, he vividly
remembered the feel of his blade sinking deep into her black heart, but since
the incidents with the Pearl, he was not surprised to see ghosts walking. If
that bitch got whiff of him, either she'd get Will or she'd have her snake, that
was presently coiled around her shoulders, his head laying on one of her
breasts, get Will. He didn't know how she'd know that he was there after him,
but she would. She had seemed to know everything, even his every move when they
had been fighting, and trying to do her in had been one of the harder, most
difficult fights he had ever been in.

Like the evil incarnate she was, she was back to cause more crap in his
life. He prayed that she would not see either him or Brendan. The fight had been
over Brendan. She had owned him for his own family had sold the white sheep in
wolf's clothing to her. She had abused him, used him, and nearly killed him on
several occasions, and yet he had never raised a paw to her. Jack still had
difficulty understanding why Brendan had not fought against her. It was just one
of the things Brendan had to work out for himself.

Helvira paid no attention whatsoever to Jack but entered the stall where
Will was being held. Jack braced himself. "Hold me back, Brendan. She's going to
do something, and if I give us away, we'll never get Will."

Brendan stood by his Captain in silence, his eyes, which had already
changed to yellow, focused solely on the bitch in black. He put a hand on Jack's
shoulder but never spoke a word. He would hold him back if needed, but who,
Brendan wondered, would hold him back if the wolf got the better of him as it
was already threatening to do as memories ran rampant in his mind?

He had not tried to fight Helvira then for he had felt that he deserved
no better than the pain she gave him and even wanted her to kill him, but if she
touched Will, if she harmed the innocent lad who his Captain cared so much for,
it would be all he could do to rein the wolf in. He would not see another hurt
by her. He could not. He felt a gentle hand on his own shoulder and looked down
in surprise to see Faith looking up at him.

"Easy, boy. I don't know what the bitch did to ya, but you've gotta hold
it in. You can rip out her throat later."

Brendan sighed, but the sound never left his mouth. She had whispered so
quietly that only his advanced hearing could hear her, so her words did not
bring any attention from any one else near them. He cocked his head at her in
curiosity, but she just shook her head and did not speak again. The young woman
really was a paradox. Did she truly care, or was she only trying to make sure
they didn't fail the mission before it even got well under way? Brendan also
wished it were so easy for him to do what he knew both she and Jack would if
given a chance, but he could not kill for if he ever started, he knew he would
never stop.

Jack's attention had never wavered from Will. Faith was already looking
at the confrontation about to take place again, but Brendan turned back slowly,
fear clogging his throat at what he would see. Helvira stood before Will, her
black eyes slowly roving the boy's body as she took in his appearance. "What do
you think, snake?" she asked the pet that slithered over her pale white skin. He
hissed in response, and she nodded. "Yes, I thought this was the innocent we
were sensing."

Will's heart thundered in his chest, and Brendan could hear it easily
from where he stood. He knew from the look in the boy's eyes that he knew that
there was far more to Helvira than there even appeared, and he also knew what
was about to happen as Helvira raised a hand toward Will's face. Brendan gripped
Jack's shoulder harder in silent warning.

Jack tensed as though he were a panther ready to spring. His hand went
to his sword. Inwardly, he cringed, crying out, {Please don't hurt him!} Where
was the damn shopkeeper?! What was the bitch about to pull? If she got too wild
or if Will cried from whatever she was doing to him, he knew he'd lose it. He'd
jump across that street and into that stall so fast that that bitch would never
know what got her. Even if it wouldn't kill her, he sure as Hell could hurt her
to the point that she'd withdraw, but then their little game would be up and
Will would not be rescued. He held his breath to see what she was doing, feeling
every bit of what Will was feeling.

Will squirmed as the strange woman reached out to touch his cheek. She
did not slap him or even hit him, however. Instead, a single, long, black
fingernail tapped his temple as if checking for something. Her nail then pressed
down harder, tearing past the skin. Pain tore through Will, bringing another
yell from the blacksmith's mouth as she brought her fingernail down the side of
his face. A thin trail of blood was left in her wake, and she only stopped when
she reached the end of his cheek. He struggled, trying desperately yet again to
break from his chains, as she leaned in closer. Her taut breasts slammed against
his heaving chest as she put her body next to his. Her tongue then ran over the
cut as she sucked the blood that ran from her cut. Will was already trembling
with fear, but he trembled even more when her snake's forked tongue flicked out
and licked him on his very lips.

Tears filled Jack's eyes as he could only watch helplessly as the bitch
cut Will. {I'll get you for that, you black-hearted bitch, as soon as Will's
safe.} His hand gripped his sword tightly. {I'll take great pleasure in slicing
and dicing your black heart from your chest.} He had to turn his face away. He
could not watch so he missed the licking but saw it reflected in Brendan's eyes.
He cringed inwardly.

How much more did they have to endure? How much longer would it take him
to reach Will? He was sure that Will did not expect him and that he had given
himself up for lost. Jack might be lost, but he would never stop as long as
there was breath in his body to free Will, no matter who he had to fight or
kill. Even if he died himself, his ghost would come back and save Will.

Normally, Faith did not care even a fraction for others, but anger
flared through even her dark heart as she watched the bitch and her snake lick
Will. Revulsion filled her gut, but she ignored the sensation. She did not
ignore the crowd before them, however. Sounds of disgust rattled through men and
women alike. She even heard one ask angrily, "Who the Hell wants to touch
something a snake's had a hold to?!" She bit back a bitter laugh at that and
watched as the line before them dissipated until they were next in line.

Brendan, however, did not notice Faith's or even Jack's reactions for
the scene before them had brought back even more memories. Sickness filled him,
and he barely managed to keep the bile down. Helvira's actions had always been
bad enough, but what made him sick this time and brought him so close to
exploding was not memories of what she had done to him but rather the remembered
sensation of the snake slithering across his very sword. He shuddered and shook
even as he fought to force the bile down and the memories away.

"Ah, yes," Helvira purred in a dark voice that foretold of things she
planned to come, "you taste just as good as we thought you would." She smiled
devilishly at the look in Will's frantic eyes. "We'll see you again soon," she
added. She swiped at his cheek again, but this time it was with her finger. "For
later," she explained though she didn't need to. With that, she turned and
walked away. Her snake looked behind her as she left, grinning wickedly back at
the boy. Helvira held her head high as she slipped through the crowds,
slithering through the filth like the snake she was at heart.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. The bitch was gone, temporarily of
course, and she had not killed Will, thank the Gods. He pulled himself together
and walked into the stall. He walked until he stood directly in front of Will,
noticing that his eyes were on the ground as he braced himself for whatever Hell
would come next. He could sense Brendan and Faith standing behind him in the
doorway. He gently reached out his right hand and lifted Will's chin.

"Hmm," he said in the aristocratic voice he had adopted. "Strong
cheekbones. Muscular build." He continued discussing Will's merits so that the
crowd outside could hear, the whole while gently touching and stroking the cheek
that had not been injured.

Will's eyes were glazed over, and he knew there was no way he would
recognize the voice he was using. In a lower voice so that only Will and Brendan
could hear, he spoke his name, "Will, it's me. Don't fear. I'm sorry you've been
hurt. I'll save you." He couldn't help one tear sliding down his face, but no
one could see it but Will. If his eyes would only focus! If he would only answer
him! With no one to judge and no one to see but two of his trusted, he leaned
forward and kissed Will on the forehead. "Come back to me, Will," he pleaded.

From far away, Will heard some one calling to him. The voice thrilled
his aching ears for it was the voice that he had longed to hear but had thought
he never would again. Slowly, he followed it back from the place he had managed
to find, hidden deep within the recesses of his own frightened mind, to find
Jack, in the most outlandish outfit he'd ever seen, standing before him. As his
eyes began to refocus, he found himself looking directly into Jack's sad and
pleading eyes. Was it possible? Was Jack really here? Could he care that much
for him? "J-Jack . . . " he managed to gasp out in a hoarse voice that was so
low even he could barely hear himself.

Brendan smiled sadly in relief as he saw Jack manage to bring Will back.
Shouts sounded from another stall not too far from Will's. Faith steppedout to
take a look, and Brendan moved so that his own frame filled the doorway,
blocking any outsiders from looking in even while keeping one eye each on Jack
and Will and Faith.

Jack wanted desperately to cut Will down and take him to the safety of
the ship where he could tend to his wounds, but he couldn't do that. His only
hope was to buy Will. There were too many people in the marketplace interested
in this one transaction. "Whatever it takes, Will, I'll get you out of here. Do
not fear. That bitch will never get you, and they will all pay."

Despite the pain that filled his every part and the terror that had
flooded his soul, seeing Jack before him; feeling his gentle, reassuring touch;
and hearing the words he spoke sent not only relief but also happiness that Jack
cared so much about him coursing through Will's being. Will smiled sadly, and
for the first time, he let a tear drop down his cheek where somebody could see
him. The tear was not of sadness, however, but of joy, joy that Jack cared so
much for his lowly hide.

Jack reached up and caught Will's tear, his heart tearing because of it.
"Don't cry, Will. It hurts like Hell today, but it will get well and you will be
free. I have to leave you now. There will be others coming in. I can't help it.
Just know that whatever it takes, I will free you."

Will wanted to reassure Jack that he was not crying from the pain, fear,
or sadness but with joy, the joy that came with the knowledge that Jack actually
did care about him. He ached to beg him to stay and never leave him again.
However, he knew he could do neither and so remained silent as Jack slipped back
into his disguise.

Returning to his aristocratic voice, Jack said, "I can't wait to get you
in my bed after you take a bath." He sniffed his hanky delicately. He walked
out, shaking inwardly but continuing to play the fool for the crowd's benefit.
"Mmm! All that muscle!" he breathed out, sneaking a look around only to see that
Brendan and Faith were not to be seen. He wondered where they had gone and then
heard yelling. "He's going to make a great stallion! I can hardly wait for the
ride!" He walked over to where they had been standing before. He looked around,
hoping to see his friends.



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

Faith had followed the yells of a familiar voice to a stall only two
away from Will's, but she had not truly expected to find there what she did. She
stood back in the crowd, her blazing eyes watching the boy from earlier. There
was another bitch dressed in another slinky, black dress that did little to
cover her body standing in front of him. She was accompanied by a muscular goon
whose hand was even now pinning the boy to the wall. "Bruiser, you will have to
move in order for me to measure the boy," the woman told him in a cold voice.

"But, ma'am," the man with big muscles but little brain responded, "if I
do that, he's going to knee you again."

"Then use our little method, Bruiser. Really, where is that thing you
call a brain today?"

"Oh. Oh. 'Course, ma'am," Bruiser answered as he released the boy and
then made his way to a small fire that lit the stall. He reached down and picked
up a piece of hot coal with a pair of tongs that lay waiting nearby. He then
moved back to the boy his mistress was currently interested in. Faith growled as
she watched Bruiser stick the piece of coal right at Dawson's throat. "One
move," the man warned the boy, "and I'll burn you."

"One move, and I'll rip your dick off," Faith muttered under her breath.
It wasn't that the boy meant anything to her, or so she told herself at least,
but seeing this done to some one she knew filled her with fury. She watched as
the woman unbuttoned the boy's pants, and as she brought out his sword for any
one looking to see, Faith started forward. She had not taken more than two
steps, however, when she suddenly felt strong hands clamp down on her shoulders.
"Move 'em if ya wanna keep 'em," she spat without bothering to look to see who
was holding her back.

It was Brendan's voice that met her ears. "Faith, you know you can't.
Not yet, at least," he whispered urgently so that only she could hear him. Even
as he held her back, Brendan knew he couldn't hold her for long. He could
practically feel the fury seething off of her and knew she'd have no qualms
against turning on him if she was mad enough. Looking around, he spied Jack.
"Boss," he called in a voice completely unlike his true, eloquent voice, hoping
that the Captain would nonetheless recognize him, "think this one's gonna blow."

Jack had to agree. He could see the steam rising off of Faith. What
about this particular boy was bothering her? he wondered. He knew for certain
that it was not the kid's innocence for nothing like that ever drew Faith after
one time. In fact, he knew of nothing that had ever managed to attract her a
second time. Walking over to stand beside his friends, he asked Faith, "What is
it with the kid?"

"He was just a good piece," she spat out, her blazing eyes never moving
from the scene before them, "but he doesn't deserve to be treated like an
animal! Just look at that, Jack! The bitch is fondling him for all to see, and
the thing's only even been touched once!"

Jack blushed slightly at her response. Gods, the girl had a way with
words! "Okay, so we have two for the rescue. What you do with him after the
rescue is up to you."

"Set him free," she answered instantly. "I already had him. I don't want
him again. He just doesn't deserve this."

Jack was worried. He had only brought the one bag of gold, and even
though it was enough to buy most of Port Royal -- this he didn't realize --, he
was afraid it might not be enough to buy Will. "Do you have any gold with you?"
he asked.

"Give me five minutes," Faith responded. "Hell, give me one minute, and
my pockets'll be overflowing."

Jack looked uneasily around the crowd. He knew Faith was good, but he
desperately did not want attention drawn. "Be careful," he said. "Move quickly
and return. The auction will begin in about . . . " He looked up at the sun.
Noon was not far away, and the auction was to be then. "You might have fifteen
minutes at the most."

He looked at Brendan to see if he had any comments even as Faith slipped
away. The look on his face almost said it all, but it was as though he had
something he wanted to spit out but wasn't sure how it would be taken. "Well?"
Jack asked, looking at him even closer. "Out with it!"

"I know she's good, Captain," Brendan spoke in a soft voice that only
Jack could hear, "but that woman looks like she has endless funds . . . "

"Go for it, Brendan, but be careful." Jack had to smile to himself. His
friend never ceased to amaze him. For himself, Brendan would barely lift a
finger, but for his friends, even a mountain would not be too much to move to
help. Jack, too, was pretty good at lifting pockets, but he just could not do it
today. He was too emotionally overwrought.

His fury at not being able to do anything yet to get Will free was
causing his hands to shake. They itched to throttle something, and he knew just
who it was going to be as soon as he was able to move against them. He was
standing there, waiting for the auction to begin or for his friends to return
and having daydreams about what he was going to do to the Governor that very
night. The whole damned town was going to pay, but at this time, Jack was only
concerned with the Governor and what he was going to do to that bald-headed
son-of-a-bitch. No amount of begging was going to save his unworthy hide.


Chapter Eleven
The furry streak that raced throughout the streets of Port Royal caused
immense havoc in its wake, people screaming and varied items flying everywhere
as they fell to the ground. The feline never turned back nor even considered
glancing back to see the destruction that lay in his wake. Instead, he continued
to run as if his own life depended on it, his nose in the air as he followed the
crew's scents. He did not even pause when a pair of woman's underwear from a
clothes basket that had been thrown up into the air as he had ran between the
surprised carrier's legs and sent them tumbling landed on his head. Instead, he
just shook it off and kept running.

Hands tried to grab him, but he continued weaving in and out of the
annoying humans until a pair of strong hands finally managed to grasp him.
"UNHAND THE ROYAL PERSONAGE, YOU FILTHY PEASANT!" The man screamed and released
him instantly, but the King still gave him a few scratches before continuing to
race off, leaving the surprised man with just enough bloody gashes to remind him
not to catch just any cat he happened across.

He had torn out of the town and was well on his way to the others when
another scent caught his nose from a different direction. The cat stopped so
suddenly that he was sent sliding on snow, which he wondered where in the world
it had come from, until he almost hit a tree. Regaining his balance barely in
the nick of time, he used the tree as a look-out perch and was just in time to
see a wagon rushing his way.



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

Xena had finally found the farm she was looking for. Locating a wagon
and horses to pull it proved to be a little more time consuming, but she at last
located them as well. The wagon was full of hay and would make a comfortable
conveyance for all. She walked out of the barn, leading the horses pulling the
wagon, and got hit in the head with something wet.

She put her hand up and caught the next snowflake. "What the Hell?!
Snowing here?!" She had been in colder countries when it had been snowing so she
knew what it was, but what was it doing here in a hot, tropical atmosphere? It
never snowed here, or if by some freak of nature, it did, it would melt as soon
as it hit the ground. Yet this snow was actually sticking to the ground and
forming a slippery surface!

She didn't know what was going on, but more of the crap was now hitting
the fan. She got behind the reins and stood up, clacking the reins in the air
and hollering at the horses to get a move on. They took off flying like bats out
of Hell, heading back to where the group waited. The snow grew thicker all the
time yet she still passed from snowy area to plain area. It was as if the Earth
itself could not make up its mind rather it wanted snow. She then realized that
if she continued to drive the horses so quickly they would be worn out and
unable to help any one, so she slowed them down to a steady trot.

As they passed under another of the many trees that lined the dirt road,
a body suddenly dropped out of the tree. Xena started to reach for her sword but
relaxed as soon as she realized who it was. Blue eyes looked up at her as Meesy
asked, "How fast can this thing go?"

Xena looked down at King Meesy. "Faster than you want to go, Your
Majesty. Why? What has caused the urgency?"

"Will was sold into slavery," Meesy said, knowing that she would need no
further explanation. Without another word, Xena clacked the reins and yelled at
the horses who took off flying again. As they raced, Meesy had to dig his claws
into the wooden seat to keep from falling over, but never did the cat speak one
word of complaint. He only wanted to reach the others and get them back to the
ship. The faster they could do so, the better, regardless of the condition the
speed put his luxurious fur in.

"Damn!" was all she could mutter. "Damn! Damn! Damn! Jack will go crazy
and wipe out the entire damn town if they hurt one hair on Will's head!" Amongst
all the other Pirates, Xena was the only one, or thought she was the only one,
who truly knew how Jack felt for Will. Every one else just thought that they
were the best friends they'd ever seen. She knew Jack was in love but afraid to
admit his love to Will. Heck, he'd only just recently admitted it to himself!

They passed one of the trees that dumped a whole bunch of snow on her,
and Xena shook it off angrily. Why was it that when everything looked like it
was going to go good, shitt always happened?! If she had had even a clue, she
would now be standing beside Jack, ready to take on the entire town, but
instead, here she was, tied down with a group of survivors that she knew had to
move as soon as she got to them. There was no more time. Whatever Jack did in
the town, the ships had to go. They had to be outside the harbor before the
guards closed it. What they did after that was another whole story. As she
neared the camp, she smelled fire and knew that more shitt had hit the fan.



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

They had looked at so many bodies. Prue had breathed a sigh of relief
after each, knowing that they were not their family, but she had lost count of
how many they had actually seen. Still, her family had not shown up. As they
rounded a huge boulder, they found yet another group of women laid out. The
woman laying in the center caused Prue to start crying and screaming. Lorne
helped her to stand on her shaking legs as they approached. He knew they had
found one of the women.

The second they reached the group, Prue fell on her knees beside her
mother, and her long hair covered her face. She was lost in tears, wailing like
a lost soul. Her heart was breaking. Thank Gods her sister lived, but she had no
hope that her grandmother would be alive, either, or even her other sisters, not
after having found her mother dead.

Prue had been one of the ones who had wanted to fight and had not simply
given up but had gone along with her family, because that's what her mother had
said would be right. She loved her mother and did not know how she would go on
without her. She felt Cole stop beside them and Piper being let down.

Tears were already streaming down Piper's cheeks so much that she could
not see past them. She could barely even make out Prue's form, but she reached
out and hugged her sister tightly. She knew Prue needed her now more than ever
and hated herself for crying instead of comforting her sister, but this was
their mother. Their mother was dead! Nothing else mattered!



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

Lex heard women crying. "I will take you over there so that you can see
if that's part of your group," he said to Paige, secretly hoping that it wasn't
because he was not very good with crying women.

"It is," Paige answered softly, struggling to get the words out through
the tears that choked her throat. She could tell Prue's and Piper's voices, but
who had they found? Phoebe? Their mother? Their grandmother? Who?! She wanted to
hide her face away in Lex's shoulder and not face whatever she was about to
find, but she knew she could not.

When Lex reached the small group, he noticed Cole and Lorne both looking
as lost as though they wanted the Earth to open and swallow them. It seemed that
he was not the only one helpless around crying women. He sat Paige down beside
her sisters and then stepped away, the others following behind him. Carl was so
close that his face hit Lex's butt when he went to back. "Hey, that's my
territory!" Clark quippingly exclaimed in a hushed whisper, hoping but failing
to lighten the other guys' moods.

When the men had retreated a little ways from the ladies, Cole told the
others, "That's just one of them. There are two more here somewhere. I have no
clue as to what they look like, but carrying them around to look at all the
other bodies is just not going to work. It's breaking their hearts even more.
We've got to find some one who knows every one."

Carl piped up. "Gabrielle will know what to do."

"Carl, you stay on guard with the ladies. If anything comes up, get us
immediately. We're going for Gabrielle."



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

Reaching Gabrielle, the men all talked at once. Finally, Clark waited
for the others to hush before saying, "We need some one who knows every one to
identify the dead ones. That way they can tell if any of the live ones can match
up with any of the dead ones." The others nodded in agreement.

Gabrielle looked at Clark with a partially questioning and partially
bemused expression in her green eyes. His wording was rather unique, but she
nonetheless understood what he meant. She had been keeping watch over every one
but had only met a few of them briefly. "We need to find out if their leader
made it. She would know everybody in the group, but any one else might not know
all the others. I don't know which of them to ask, though." Looking around, she
saw Wolf. Whistling to him, she waved her hands urgently in the air. She'd seen
him having a rather lengthy talk with the woman in black and hoped he might know
something she didn't.

Wolf reached her side almost immediately. "Yes, Gabrielle? Can I help?"

"We need to find out who the group's leader is," she explained. "We need
some one who knows the rest of them so that they can identify family members and
the like."

Wolf had been about to answer when he got hit with something in the
head. He reached up and swiped at it with one hand, bringing his hand away to
reveal snow. "Just what the Hell?! Snow?! Huff puff! That shouldn't be here!" He
looked at Gabrielle puzzledly before answering her question. "The lady I was
talking to earlier and taking care of knows them. I don't know if she's a
leader, but she can identify them. I'll ask."

Wolf immediately sprinted over to Elvira, leaving Gabrielle to turn
questioningly to the rest of the men standing around her. "Do any of you know
any reason at all that it would be snowing in Port Royal, of all places?"

"Wesley might know, but I haven't got a clue," Lex answered. "Professor
Doom is always looking into things."

"It might be an omen or something," Clark thought aloud.

"Well, if it is," Gabrielle replied, "we'll hear about it as soon as his
lungs open."

Cole shook his head. "I haven't seen snow in years. Isn't this the wrong
climate for it?"

"It sure is," Lorne agreed. "Wrong climate and wrong season. I would
have expected snow to happen in Pylea before it would have happened here, and
it's never happened in Pylea. Where is Wesley?"

"I don't know," Cole said, "but let's go look for him." Lorne nodded,
and the two parted from the group to go in search of Wesley, hoping against hope
that he would know what was going on.



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

Meanwhile, Wolf had reached Elvira. "Dear lady, I hate to bother you,
but they are in need of some one to identify bodies. Are you able to help?"

Elvira had stood to meet him as she had seen Wolf approaching and had
ran her tongue over her black lips as she watched him. He certainly was quite
the magnificent feast and surely had to be as good in the bed as he was on the
eyes! When he spoke, however, and his question reminded her of all those who had
died that day, she quickly sombered. "I can try, but I don't know everybody,"
she admitted. "I was still pretty new. Patty or Ororo would be better . . . if,"
she added sadly in an afterthought, "they made it."

"What do they look like?" Wolf asked.

"Ororo would be the easiest to tell. She's dark-skinned with white hair
and blue eyes."

"I've seen her already. She's beautiful, and she's with a friend of
mine. Do you want to come with me?" He got hit with another snowflake and looked
around. The landscape was beginning to get snowed under. "Do you have any ideal
why it might be snowing?" he asked her.

"No," Elvira answered his second question first with a shake of her
head. "You can try asking Miss -- " She bit her own tongue to keep from letting
the word 'Beautiful' slip. Why was she suddenly so jealous? Ororo was beautiful,
and Wolf was a man with no claims on him. If he wanted to look at Ororo or
another woman, that was his right. They had only flirted, after all. There was
nothing serious between them, so she had no reason or right to be jealous. "Miss
Munroe," she concluded after a second's hesitation. "She's a Weather Witch."

He could not for the life of him figure out why she was suddenly sort of
hostile, but he could see the tenseness and smell the jealousy that had suddenly
gripped her. "It would be nice if you'd come with me," he said hopefully. "She
doesn't know me from Adam, but she does know you." Then it dawned on him. He had
said she was beautiful, because she was and he was never one to keep his mouth
closed when it came to admiring beautiful ladies. He leaned forward next to her
ear, "She's beautiful but not as beautiful as you are." He stood back in case
she slapped him.

Her black eyes sparkled at his words. Part of her hoped that he was not
just telling her what she wanted to hear, but as she watched him pull back, his
eyes on guard as he expected to be slapped, she realized that that was not it at
all. She started to smile, but she stopped herself just in time, deciding
instead to surprise him. Her face went suddenly stoic, and she managed to keep
the lust from her voice as she spoke. "Why, sir," she exclaimed, stepping closer
to him, closing the distance he'd put between them, and raising a hand toward
his face, "I -- "

She switched instantly, however. Her voice transformed from a sharp
exclamation to a lustful purr as her body leaned into his, her taut breasts
pressing against his muscular chest through the thin fabric of her dress. Her
hand fell gently across his face, her palm caressing his cheek, as she whispered
against his lips, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

"The only place I want to be is next to you," he whispered back. "Soon,"
he purred back into her ear. "Just being this close to you burns me up." He
growled more intensely than he had planned, conveying to her that he was
definitely in heat and wanted her badly. "Huff puff," he moaned as he pulled
himself away from her. "We have to get this business taken care of and our
living company back to safety. Gods know why, but it's even snowing now! Will
you come with me?"

Though he was trying to put distance between them again, Elvira reached
out and caressed his chest through his shirt. "I'll come with you anywhere," she
told him seductively, her voice on the verge of a responding growl.

His gaze locked with hers as he lifted her hand and kissed her in the
center of her palm. Then, holding her hand, he pulled her with him where he had
last seen Wolverine with the woman. As they approached, he could see that
Wolverine was nestled close to the lady, holding her torso in his lap and
encircling her with his arms. Wolf didn't know if she was asleep or had just not
woken up. When he reached them, he spoke, "Wolverine, is she . . . ?"

Wolverine looked up at Wolf. "Sleeping," he replied. "Thank Gods she
lives."

Wolf definitely could see that Wolverine had lost it. Was it destined
that each of them should find their true mates today? Gods knew he had found his
and could hardly wait to claim her as his own. Did Wolverine feel the same about
Ororo? It seemed that he did as he held her protectively, and Wolf had to smile.
He had never seen Wolverine with any woman before. Rumors had abounded that he
had killed a couple of them, but he had never seen him get romantically inclined
toward any one. "We were hoping that she would be able to identify the
survivors."

Wolverine looked up at the sky. "I'm gonna have to wake my little
darlin' up any way. The snow is beginnin' to pile up. She'll catch her death o'
cold here, an' I won't have that. Little darlin'," he whispered, "wake up. We've
gotta get a move on."

Ororo stirred slowly in response to Logan's voice, but the first thing
she felt was confusion. The next was the cold of the naturally heated earth that
did not understand why it was being snowed upon. Her eyes were not yet open when
she groggily spoke, "It's cold. Why is it cold? What is this white stuff? It
does not belong here."

Elvira released Wolf's hand to kneel before the man called Wolverine and
Ororo. She knew that her friend's strange comments were probably worrying both
men but understood what was happening. Ororo was not fully awake yet, but
already she was picking up on Mother Nature's confusion. "'Ro, wake up. It's
just snowing," she said as if snow was an every-day occurrence in their lives.

"Snow?" Ororo repeated tiredly. "But it should not be. I did not tell it
to."

Wolf looked at the brown-skinned woman who was mumbling about snow. What
was it Elvira had said about her? Oh, yes, that she was a Weather Witch. "Well,
if you can do something about it and make it stop, it might be a good ideal. It
could really cause some trouble. I've heard about the snow, but I've never seen
it, not till today. You're right. It shouldn't be here."

Wolverine had been around strange women all his life and many Witches.
Therefore, her words really did not bother him but her tiredness did. He was
still afraid of losing her. "'Ro, are you able to stand? I'll hold on to you. We
need to identify yer people. Match up the living with their dead; get the dead
seen to; an' then we need to get the Hell outta here, because rather it's snow
or townspeople, we are in for a lot o' rough road to hoe and the sooner we get
to safety, the better."

Their words had brought Ororo the rest of the way awake, but she was
still looking around in confusion. "You are both right. It should not be
snowing. This can not be good, but I should be able to stop it." She was
emotionally exhausted and mentally tired, but her physical well being was
surprisingly fine and showed no signs of having gone through what she and her
people had been through that day.

She pushed herself to her full height of six feet. Standing tall, she
stretched out her arms and opened her hands, her fingers reaching toward the
heavens. "By the Goddess, that which belongs in the cold regions . . . " Cold
winds blew back her long, white hair, and her baby blue eyes turned to white
with no sign of her pupils. "That which should never fall here, the stuff of
snow, ice, and sleet, be gone."

Elvira looked around, knowing that the snow should disappear with
Ororo's words. When nothing happened, worry dawned on her face.

"I said . . . " Ororo began to try again but stopped suddenly as her
spirit seemed to run straight into a brick wall of fury. Her forehead creased
and her eyes shut in determined concentration, but the unknown power source was
far stronger than her own. With a cry of pain, she fell back, toppling downwards
into Logan's waiting arms.

He held her close to him. He was amazed at all the power he had just
seen flowing out of her, and yet it had all been thrown back at her. It scared
him, but he didn't let on like it did. "She's not in any shape to help you to
identify the people. If ya have any way at all o' doin' it, miss, please? We've
got to get them outta here to safety. Out in the open, like this, we're
exposed."

"It's too dangerous," Wolf said. "Can you do it, Elvira?"

"Wolf, I told you I was new to the group. I still don't know everybody.
I could identify some but not all, and they all deserve . . . "

Ororo's gentle voice interrupted the conversation that flowed around
her. Elvira's black eyes looked down into her baby blues. "Find Patty, Elvira,
any of her children, or even the Halliwells' grandmother. They will all know,
but we must do this swiftly." She started to continue but stopped, confusion
creasing her brow. Looking to Wolverine, she asked, "Are any of your people
capable of healing others? Until I ran into what I just encountered, my body was
surprisingly fine and felt as though nothing had happened."

"The Lewis sisters are our ships' Sorceresses. They did a healing
spell," Wolf said. "They are resting now. I don't know what they are thinking
about what is going on right now; I haven't seen them in a while."

"Please introduce me to them later, then, as I must thank them. What I
was about to say, however, is that time is even more of the essence here than it
would be otherwise. The force that is causing this snow is quickly approaching
our way, and it is capable of a great deal more disaster. We must be out of here
before it reaches the town or we will go with it."

"Is it that powerful?" Elvira asked her, looking at her in fearful
surprise. Outside of her sisters and her brother-in-law, Ororo was the most
powerful being she'd ever met. If this force was so powerful that it scared
Ororo, let alone tossed her back as if she were nothing but a child's ball . . .
Elvira refused to dwell on the thought as she shuddered silently and, already
standing again, moved closer to Wolf.

"Yes," Ororo affirmed. "More, in fact."

"Then we'd best get going," Wolf said as he grasped Elvira's hand and
pulled her with him again. "We've got to find any of the Halliwells."



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

Cole and Lorne had at last found Wesley. He was with one of the women
that Cole had rescued earlier. They noticed that he kept looking worriedly at
the sky. "Wesley, you want to explain what's going on?" Cole asked hopefully.

"Can't," Wesley replied nervously. "The scrolls are at the ship, and I
don't remember reading anything about this. It shouldn't be snowing here!"

"Something's comin'! Somethin' big an' bad an' awful!" the woman, who
was so petite that she looked more like a girl at first glance, gasped out.
"It's goin' ta eat all o' us or, at least, kill us! We have ta get outta here!"

"Easy, Fred," Wesley said.

"Fred?!" Lorne exclaimed.

Cole laughed. "Why're you calling her Fred? You call a girl by a girl's
name, Wesley." He figured Wesley had just stuck a name on her. He was bad about
doing that, and he was very nervous around women.

"'Cause that's her name, Cole, or at least she said it was!" Wesley
exclaimed, heatedly defending himself.

"Sorry, ma'am," Cole said, "but I never heard of a woman with a guy's
name before."

"What kind of parent lays a boy's name on a daughter?" Lorne asked. "Not
that I'm one to say anything. After all, who calls their child Krevlornswath?"

Fred laughed, a musical sound that caressed Wesley's ears and stopped
far too soon. "Mah real name's Winifred Burkle . . . " she started to explain.

"That's okay," Lorne quickly said. "We'll just call you Fred. You can
call me Lorne."

"And I'm Cole," Cole said.

"It's nice to meet y'all. It'd be nicer if we were in a bettah
situation. But we've gotta get outta here. Ah'm not kiddin' when Ah tell y'all
somethin's comin' that's gonna devour this entire place!"

"I believe you, ma'am," Cole said. "It's a Demonic power of some kind,
stronger than I've ever felt. We've got to get these people out of here." He
wondered what had happened to Xena and why she had not returned yet.

Fred shook her head. "Not a Demon or, at least, not technically. An
Elemental."

"Mister Big, Bad, Bold, and Ugly," Cole said. "Doesn't matter if he's
Demonic or an Elemental, he's not some one we need to tamper with. Let's go
where the others are." He would have to tell Gabrielle as soon as he got there.

Wesley was amazed at how much Fred seemed to know. He couldn't wait to
get better acquainted with her and delve deeper into her mind. They could
compare notes and probably even swap tales. He took her by the hand, helping her
to her feet, and they headed off in the direction of Gabrielle.



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

Still holding on to Elvira's hand, Wolf headed off to where he had last
seen Gabrielle. Reaching her at last, he said, "We need some one with the name
of Halliwell."

"Patty, Penny, Prue, Paige, Piper, or Phoebe," Elvira inserted. "Damn,"
she muttered, "my tongue just about stuck on that one."

Cole reached Gabrielle just about the time Elvira was letting go with
the list of names. "I've got one of those," he told them.

"So do I," Lorne said.

"Me too," Lex added in.

"Lucky us," Clark interjected dryly. "We've all got a Halliwell." As far
as he was concerned, the sooner they got rid of the Halliwell, the better. No
way was that Halliwell laying a hand on his Lex!

"Get one of them and get them to identify the bodies," Gabrielle told
the others. "Actually, if you can get them to split up and identify, it will be
faster."

"Sure thing," Cole said and headed off to where he had left Piper. He
hated to ask her, but he knew the sooner they got it taken care of, the sooner
they could get the Hell out of there. He felt time was quickly running out. Lex,
Clark, and Lorne followed Cole, but Wesley and Fred remained behind to warn
Gabrielle of the danger behind the snow.



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

The others soon reached the place where they had left the sisters crying
over their mother. Carl looked like he was about to break down into a fit of
tears, and Lorne silently placed a reassuring hand on the little guy's shoulder.
The Gnome looked up at the Demon, but neither spoke.

"Piper?" Cole was the first to speak, putting out his hand and touching
her gently on the shoulder as he gently called her name. "Can you help to
identify the others?" He knew the healing spell should have taken effect now.
She wouldn't need carrying. He'd miss that, but he'd be close to her in case she
needed him.

Tears were still running down her cheeks when she looked up at Cole, but
she nodded as she swiped at them. "Sisters," Piper said, looking to both Prue
and Paige, "I know we do not want to leave her, but Mother would want us to do
everything we can for the others."

Paige nodded, biting back a sob as she did so. "Besides," she added
dejectedly, "we still haven't found Phebs."

"Or Grams," Prue said, wiping her eyes on the backs of her hands. "With
the three of us working together, we'll find them sooner."

They went in three different directions, each with at least one man to
carry the dead body to its relative if its relative was alive, but none of their
relatives lived. Entire families had been wiped out, and the tears continued to
flow not only down the sisters' faces but, when the women were not looking, down
the men's as well.

They were collecting the bodies into one group when Paige suddenly cried
out, "I found them!" Every one stopped what they were doing and raced to where
Paige was cradling Phoebe as her sister cried. Grams lay still on the ground.
Her sisters gathered around Phoebe, and Prue and Piper held both of their
younger sisters tightly.

Cole did not say a word but picked up their grandmother and added her to
the group beside Patty. He then looked around for something to start a fire but
could find nothing. He was amazed when he was suddenly joined by Morph and Tom,
who had came seemingly out of nowhere, and Tom transformed into a dragon,
breathing fire over the bodies.

It was this smelling that Xena picked up as she entered the camp. A slow
chanting had began among the survivors, helping to carry the souls of the dearly
departed to the Rainbow Bridge. They stood in a circle, their hands entwined,
and she was even more surprised to see that they were not alone but were also
leading the men, even little Carl and Joxer, in the ritual. Only Katrina and
Celina were missing, and Gabrielle stood out, as well, waiting and keeping guard
with tears shimmering and the fire reflecting in her sad eyes.

It would take a while for the fires to burn down, a time that the people
could not wait for. Xena hopped down from the wagon and opened the gate. "Come!
We must quickly be away from here! The snow heralds danger!" She looked down at
King Meesy, whose every hair stood straight out.

At Captain Xena's words, most of the men, those who were not already
familiar with rituals, tried to leave the circle, but the women latched onto
them even tighter. "We must close the circle," the whisper rang among them,
passed from one to another as an explanation to those who did not know.

The snow continued to fall, wrapping them in a blanket of whiteness,
even as the ritual ended and Ororo opened the circle. The group began to make
their way to the wagon. Their heads were bowed in respect for the dead, and
tears still flowed down several faces.

Xena was getting worried. If the snow piled up too much, they would
never get through. To take a precaution against that happening, Xena, who had
seen Tom demorph back into his own body after being the dragon, approached him
and Morph after they had helped their exhausted wives into the wagon. "If you
would help me get through," she indicated how the snow was piling up about the
wheels of the wagon, "it would be greatly appreciated."

They both grinned sheepishly at her and immediately turned into dragons.
The horses spooked and broke the traces, fleeing from the dragons. Xena could
not believe the disasters, one following the other, but the dragons merely drew
the traces together and stepped into them. Pulling the wagon behind them, the
shapeshifters began blazing a trail to the safety of their ships.


Chapter Twelve
Once the Captain had given him leave, Brendan had slipped into the
crowd. Moving with lupine stealth, he had gone as unnoticed as a shadow while
emptying many pockets. He'd heard the yells later as his prey had discovered
their money gone, but no one knew it was him. Throughout the entire time, he'd
also been careful to keep an even lower profile any time Helvira or the woman
who had been after Faith's boy happened to be around. Now, it was almost noon,
and he quickly made his way back to Jack.

Reaching his Captain, Brendan stood behind him as he whispered so that
only Jack could hear, "We can't risk my being noticed by Helvira, so I'm going
to give you the money and make myself scarce." Jack had kept his eyes ahead of
them, and though he had not even acknowledged Brendan, the wolf still mistakenly
thought that Jack had heard him. Pressing himself against Jack's back, Brendan
stole a look around before sliding the sack he'd filled with gold from his
pocket into Jack's. His hand was still in Jack's pocket when somebody plowed
into him from behind.

Jack had been standing, lost deep in his thoughts of what he was going
to do to the Governor, when he was roughly jostled by some one who had a hand in
his pocket. He flipped around, grabbing the guy by the throat with a savage
growl, before he realized that it was Brendan. "What the Hell were you doing
with your hand in my pocket?!" he demanded.

Brendan had been startled when some one who had not been looking where
they were going had plowed into his back, but he was so shocked when Jack, who
he had trusted with his very life for years, suddenly grabbed his throat that
Brendan's face paled and his eyes flashed on yellow. "Exactly what I told you I
was!" he hissed through the fangs of the startled wolf that was trying to come
out.

"Sorry, Brendan. I didn't hear you come up nor did I hear you tell me
that you were getting in my pocket." He let go of his throat. "Forgive me, but
my mind was on the Governor and the pleasures of the coming night."

At first, Brendan's only response was a nod as he fought to rein the
wolf in. Once he had regained control of the beast within, he spoke again,
keeping his voice casual should any one happen to overhear them while also
tenderly rubbing his throat. "I understand, but you need to focus on the bidding
that's about to start, sir." He dropped his voice so that only Jack could hear
him as he added meaningfully, "The addition to your pocket should help in that
other case, but I should make myself scarce."

"Again, I want to apologize, Brendan. You know I'd never purposefully
hurt you. Forgive me. You're right. I need to concentrate on this, but you don't
know how badly I want him. Be careful, and for Gods' sakes, don't let the
bitches see you."

Brendan nodded, but when he spoke, his words seemed to fumble over
themselves as he tried to assure Jack. "I will. I mean, I won't. I mean . . . "

"Fleas bothering you again?" Faith quipped at Brendan as she slid up to
join the men.

Brendan just looked at her, shook his head, and turned his attention
back to his Captain. Unlike Brendan, Jack, who looked at Faith as though she had
taken leave of her senses, was not as willing to let her comment slip. "Leave
Brendan alone, Faith," he commanded. "The bidding's about to start. Pay
attention."

Faith looked at Jack with a faked pout on her lips. "Can I help it that
Virgin Boy's just too much fun to play with?"

"You . . . " Jack shook his head. "You're incorrigible, Faith."

"Thank ya, Cap," Faith returned with an impish grin.

"You're not welcome," Jack quipped in return. He turned back to Brendan
and gently squeezed his arm. "Be careful, my friend." He hoped Brendan knew how
sorry he was that the occurrence had happened. He'd try to find a way to make it
up to him later. He released him.

Brendan's brown eyes met Jack's as he told him softly, "Don't worry
yourself with what happened -- " he started to say only to be cut off by Faith
once more.

"What's wrong?" she asked him with a tease tugging at the corners of her
lips. "You couldn't get it up again?"

"You wish," Jack said to Faith. "I've never had that problem."

"Not you," she answered. "I know you're constantly swinging, Cap." She
inclined her head toward Brendan as she clarified, "I was talking about Virgin
Boy again."

Brendan's yellow eyes cut through Faith, and a low growl of warning
issued from his lips. "Faith, I explained that to you that night -- " he started
but then just fell silent, shaking his head.

"Yeah, right," Faith snorted in return. "And if ya think I'm buying into
that, ya'd better think again."

Brendan shook his head once more even as his hands clenched into tight
fists. Why was it that this annoying girl, who lacked all manners and ethics,
always knew just how to punch his buttons? Looking back to Jack, he repeated,
"Don't worry about it," and faded off into the crowd.

Jack watched him go, wondering about the exchange of words between the
two. What had or had not happened? He figured from the Virgin Boy comment that
nothing had actually taken place except maybe the foreplay and it had been
disappointing for both of them. He gathered that, because every time they got
together, they tied into each other even though Brendan was usually a sweetheart
and never picked a quarrel. He probably thought he was only defending himself
from Faith, and Jack figured the only reason why Faith was still picking on
Brendan was because she had not gotten what she had set out to get.

That was one reason why he was getting so many slaps lately. Every time
he turned around, another woman was slapping the crap out of him, and he was
tired of it. He didn't think he deserved any of it. Just because a man couldn't
. . . {Don't even go there, Jack,} he said to himself. Unwilling to face his
little problem, he immediately turned his mind back to the auction.

The auctioneer walked out followed by a man dragging a small, black goat
behind him. "First on the auction block today is this young kid. What am I bid
for him?" Jack didn't even want to watch that. He would have liked to have
bought the goat and taken him home, but what would a goat do on a ship? He knew
where the poor little fellow was probably bound and tried to block his mind from
thinking about it.

When the auctioneer had first brought out the goat, a bitter bark of
laughter had escaped Faith's dark lips for she could not for the life of her
understand why any one would want to start a sex slave auction with a goat.
After all, why bother with an animal when there were humans for the taking? When
bidding nearly instantly exploded, however, all traces of her smile vanished.
"Damn," she muttered under her breath but did not move her gaze from the auction
block as she waited for the boy whose name she still did not even know.



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


Logan had waited until the very last person was in the wagon. 'Ro had
stayed with him, and they were the last two in the wagon. He was sitting and
holding her, cuddled up against his side, where he could look down into her
eyes. He could see tears shimmering there as she kept glancing away, and he felt
as though there was something missing but wasn't sure what. "What's wrong, 'Ro?"
he asked her with deep concern in his voice.

"It . . . It is nothing of any real importance, Logan," she answered him
in a hushed whisper. The sadness in her voice matched the grief in her heart,
however, even as her eyes turned back in the direction she had been glancing in
throughout the entire ride. "It should not hinder the others' safety."

"It concerns me, little darlin'. Is it somethin' I can do fer ya,
somethin' I can get fer ya?" Whatever it was, he would not mind doing it.
Anything to make the light come back in her eyes and a smile come on her face.
He had yet to see her smile, not that she had had much that day to smile about,
but she had survived. "Tell me, an' I'll do it."

"It is . . ." She sighed as she laid her face against his chest, tearing
her teary eyes from the horizon she'd been looking in. "I did not plan to live
this day and did not wish my most prized possession to become tarnished. I am
not . . . a possessive person," she tried to explain, a pang of guilt shooting
through her, "but this . . . It was the only thing I had left from my parents."

"What is it, little darlin'?" he wondered what could be causing such
deep grief but understood that if it was the only thing left to her by her
parents, it was important.

"Just a locket," she answered softly, "but it had a picture of the three
of us." She did not say that it was the only picture that she had of her
parents, let alone that that picture was the only way she could remember what
they looked like.

Without another word, Logan got up from her and made his way up to where
he could talk to Xena. "Xena, we're takin' these people away from their homes. I
realize they're not safe here, but they're all leavin' everything they own.
Couldn't we go by their homes for a few minutes an' let 'em collect at least a
change o' clothes?"

Xena was extremely surprised that Wolverine was bothering to care about
what others might be needing. "Hadn't thought of it," she said, "but you have a
point there." She then called to the dragons, "Hold it, boys!" They stopped so
swiftly, digging their mighty claws into the ground, that Meesy was nearly sent
hurtling through the air. In fact, he would have been had Gabrielle, who sat
beside Xena, not quickly reached out and grabbed him in mid-air. As soon as the
dragons had stopped, Gabrielle had Meesy's ruffles settled.

"We have a dilemma," Xena called back to the rest of the group. "The
people need to get some of their belongings, and some of us have to get to Jack.
Knowing him, he's probably turned the town on its ear by now. Wolverine, you
coming with us?"

"Me?"

"Yes. I'll need your nose to pick up Jack's scent."

"Xena, I've never refused to go before, but I need to stay here this
time. Take Wolf, Carl, Cole, anybody but me!" She looked at him in surprise as
he was usually the first one, when Faith wasn't around, to want to fight. "I'm
leaving you here for backup for Gabrielle. Do not spend more than a few minutes
at your homes! Every minute is a costly delay, and we will leave without you!
Get to the ship as soon as you can, and get it ready to go." She would never
leave Gabrielle, but the others did not need to know that.

Xena looked around at the men. "Lex. Clark. Carl," she called, talking
down to him as she saw he was jumping up and down in his eagerness to go.
"Cole." She wished Angel and Brendan were there, but she had no ideal where
either was. "Wolf, take the men and head toward the town."

Wolf did not want to go. He was shaking his head and looking at Xena,
but before he could speak, he heard the gentle but firm voice of the
white-haired woman. "He will be needed for protection for Elvira. She lived in
the heart of our little city while the rest of us lived away. It will be
dangerous for her to return there, far more than for any of the rest of us, but
there is something that she absolutely must retrieve."

"Whatever!" Xena snapped angrily and jumped off of the wagon seat. "Do
what you must, but get to the ship as soon as you can!" She pulled herself back
up to the wagon long enough to pull Gabrielle to her and kiss her gently. "See
you soon, my love."

No sooner had Xena's lips left hers than Gabrielle's mouth was open to
begin talking. She wanted to tell her beloved so much. She wanted to tell her to
be careful and to return to her soon, but she also wanted to tell her not to be
too hard on the others. After all, that day was probably the worst day of their
lives, and they could not help having to return to their homes to retrieve their
belongings nor needing protection for the trip. Xena had jumped down and taken
off running before Gabrielle had managed to get even one word out, however, and
the bard sighed even as she watched the men following closely behind their
Captain. "Be careful," she whispered under her breath before turning her
attention to the group she had been left in charge of.



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


Realizing that they would have to walk to Port Royal, Wolf had gotten
down and lifted Elvira down beside him. Gonk jumped down right behind them, but
Wolf did not want him to go. It would be too dangerous for the little dog.
"Gabrielle, we will meet you at the ship."

Elvira scooped down and picked up Gonk. Looking into his eyes, she told
him, "You can't come with us, Gonk." He whimpered pleadingly, but she shook her
head. "Not this time, sweetheart." She had heard both Xena and Wolf talking to
the blonde and knew that the woman was now in charge of what remained of their
group. "See that nice, blonde lady sitting there?" she asked Gonk, pointing the
dog to where he had no choice but to look at Gabrielle. "If you're a good boy,
she might let you stay with her." Elvira's eyes lifted from her poodle to face
the blonde. "Could you, please?" she asked her pleadingly. "I don't want
anything to happen to him, but he can't come with us."

"I understand that," Gabrielle replied. She glanced to Meesy who now sat
beside her as she asked, "But how does he get along with cats?"

Gonk had chased a few cats in his time, but Elvira was quick to not let
on to that fact. "He'll be a perfect little angel," she quickly assured
Gabrielle with an innocent smile.

"And he'll obey?" Elvira nodded even as Gonk's and Meesy's eyes met.
Gabrielle sighed. She already had a feeling she would regret it, but nonetheless
she relented, "Okay. He can stay, but he'd best behave. We can't have any bull
off of him."

Elvira nodded again. "We understand, don't we, Gonk?" She gently wrapped
her fingers around the poodle's snout as she moved his head in a nod. "And we
thank her, too, don't we?" Again, she made Gonk nod.

Gabrielle stifled a sigh and shook her head. She had never been able to
understand what it was about some women and their dogs. "Okay. Wolverine, take
him for now. You two should get along," she added hopefully. {And if you don't,}
she thought to herself, {I'm sure you can at least make him settle down and
behave.}

"Thank you." Elvira breathed a sigh of relief as she handed Gonk up to
Wolverine. "You behave now," she warned the poodle.

Wolverine growled under his breath. Why was he the one picked to handle
the crap all the time? Just because he was a little bit taller than Carl but
shorter than everybody else, they always picked on him to get the crap details.
"Dog, stay," he said, pointing into the wagon and putting the dog on the floor.

"Thank you," Elvira repeated, speaking to both Wolverine and Gabrielle.
"And, Gonk," she warned, "I mean it. You do as they say or you get whatever they
give you." The poodle looked at his mistress in shock, but she turned away and
started to walk off, heading toward the town. She could hear him whimpering
behind her but knew she had to ignore it.

As they walked, Wolf noticed that there was not much pile-up of snow in
the area they passed through. A single flake floated down every now and then,
but it grew deeper under their feet as Wolf and Elvira headed toward the town.
Behind them, Wolf could barely make out Gabrielle's voice as she asked for a
volunteer amongst the survivors to give her directions. An answer came from
Ororo followed immediately by the clacking of the reins and Gabrielle calling to
the shapeshifters as the group took off again.



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


Meanwhile, the auction had proceeded at a fast pace and escalated from
animals to children, another practice that soured Jack's stomach and made him
even more determined to put an end to the evil place. He would have liked to
have rescued each and every one of them but was forced to stand, acting
oblivious to anything that was brought out. He figured they'd keep Will for last
or at least one of the last ones, and it seemed that it was true as they kept
passing over him and getting everything else.

His musings were interrupted by a sharp intake of breath at his elbow.
Glancing down at her, Jack saw that Faith seemed to be choking and gasping for
air. It was then he heard the auctioneer saying, "A rare find, ladies and
gentlemen! Blue eyes, blonde hair, strong muscles, male -- and a virgin!" One
look back up at the auction block affirmed what Jack had already known for the
boy who Faith was so surprisingly concerned over stood there with his head
lowered. "What am I bid for this fine specimen?" the auctioneer called out.

The crowd went wild with bidding, but every time a bid was made, Selene
made a higher one. She was determined that that particular boy was hers. Faith
remained silent for the time being, biding her time as she waited for the crowd
to reach what they would think would be a final price. She knew the sooner she
spoke, the sooner eyes would be drawn to Jack and her and they would risk being
discovered.

Jack slipped the bag out of his pocket and fumbled through its contents.
Brendan had made quite the haul. The bag not only held gold pieces but also
jewelry; Jack knew he could not pull the jewelry out there, however. He wondered
how high the price would go on the boy and if they had enough. How much had
Faith managed to get? He looked at her questioningly just as the loud-mouthed
bitch, who had finally grown impatient of the bidding war, yelled out. "ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND!" Her cold voice cut through the crowd like icicles and brought
gasps from many in the crowd.

Faith nearly choked on that amount, and Jack could tell from the sound
she made and her paled face that she did not have enough. He handed her the bag.
"There's at least another seventy-five thousand in there," he whispered urgently
to her. "Use it, and buy the boy."

Shock flashed in Faith's shining, dark eyes as she looked up at Jack.
She grabbed the bag as if it were a lifeline for her instead of the kid even as
the auctioneer announced, "Going twice!"

"ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND AND ONE!" she yelled out, her voice thundering out
over the crowd.



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


Having neither the stomach nor the heart to look out at those who had
come to bid on him, Dawson had kept his head down the entire time. His heart and
soul were broken. He was full of despair, and he dreaded what would come next.
He figured the awful, raven-haired woman had bought him and knew he'd rather be
dead than be owned by her.

Just as Dawson heard the auctioneer say "Going twice!" to her, he heard
another voice, one he thought he'd never hear again, bid one hundred thousand
and one. He could hardly breathe but dared to look up. His scared eyes met the
girl's even as he heard the raven-haired woman telling the auctioneer that she
had plenty more at home but that was all that she had brought with her and she
absolutely must have that boy. "Look, lady," the auctioneer answered. "Either
pay it up now or you lost!"

"But I don't have it with me!" she snapped at him. "I'll have your
head!"

"I doubt that, ma'am. The Governor put me in this job," the auctioneer
coolly informed her amongst a chorus of shocked gasps from the crowd. "He might
have your head, but my honey won't have mine."

"Well, I never!" she exclaimed in sharp protest.

He grinned at her. "Maybe you should've!" He then returned to his crowd
and said, "Going once! Going twice! Sold to the little lady in the crowd! Step
up here and pay; then he's all yours."

Faith had been busily pulling out the coins she needed from the other
bag and dumping them into her own. Once she had only what she needed, she shoved
the bag back at Jack even while muttering under her breath, "Little lady, my
ass."

They snatched Dawson roughly off the stage and took him over to the
table where the money collector was. He tried not to be overly eager, but inside
his heart was singing. The strange girl had cared enough for him that she had
rescued him! He was in love for the first time in his life, and he didn't even
know her name!



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


Meanwhile, it had not taken long for Gabrielle's group to reach the
little cropping of houses where the Witches had lived. As soon as they had
stopped, Wolverine had helped each of the ladies out of the wagon. Wesley rushed
off after Fred, and Lorne and Joxer looked at each other as the four sisters
scampered off in the same direction. "Joxer, go with them," Gabrielle was quick
to say as she did not relish the thought of being left alone with him. As an
after-thought, she added, "Lorne, you probably should go with him so that he
doesn't destroy their house before they can even get their stuff out." She knew
she did not need to tell Wolverine to go with Ororo.

Lorne nodded and headed off after Joxer. It did not take him long to
reach the small house that the Halliwells lived in. He could hear their voices
chattering about what they needed to get. One word in particular kept getting
repeated -- The Book. He didn't know what the Book was, but he hoped when they
got through with it, he'd get a chance to read it. There were not many books on
the Pearl except the Captain's books, and he had already read those. About the
only new reading he ever got was Gabrielle's scrolls, Celina's poetry, and the
songs he wrote himself.



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


The crowd did not bother to make way for Faith as she worked her way
toward the money collector. Everybody else was already focused on the next stock
up for grabs, but Selene, the woman who had been so determined to win Dawson but
had failed, spat words of fury from where stood in the audience. When she caught
sight of Faith, she hissed at her, "He won't be yours for long, bitch!"

"Just try to take him," Faith threatened. Her voice was low and
dangerous, and her eyes met Selene's with a calmness that surprised the older
woman.

Selene hissed in response. She wanted to run the girl through there and
then but knew she could not yet make her move as long as there were so many
witnesses. Faith tossed her head in dismissal at the other woman and, ignoring
the growl, continued forward to the collector's table. Finally reaching it, she
set the bag down on the table with a clunk. "Here ya go." Glancing at Dawson,
she added, "I trust the boy's legit?"

"As far as we can tell, ma'am, and healthy too. No sores of any kind."
He began to count the money and made out a bill of sale to her. "I'd keep the
chains on him if I were you. New slaves tend to want to run away." He tossed the
end of the chain to her. "Have fun."

Faith caught the chain smoothly even as she smirked at the collector.
"Chasing 'em down and breaking 'em in's half the fun."

"If you get tired of him, you can always pass him around amongst us.
We'll pay you for the pleasure of his company."

Dawson hung his head, not saying a word. He was so scared that he was
dreaming and that she wasn't there that he was afraid to say anything at all.

"I'm sure ya would," Faith retorted to the collector, "but I like to use
my men till there's not a drop left." She walked away with a proud sway to her
hips and kept her cover as she called back to Dawson, "Step lively, boy. I can't
wait to get you home and deflower you. You just looked too damn good up there,"
she growled lustfully, running her tongue over her lips.

Dawson gulped. If deflowering him was anything like she'd already done
to him, he couldn't wait either! He followed close behind her, trying hard not
to fall over the chains.


Chapter Thirteen
As soon as the Halliwell sisters had reached their home, Prue, being the
oldest, had taken charge. She sent Phoebe for the clothes and was about to tell
Piper what to get when she noticed that both Piper and Paige were missing.
Before she could speak, Joxer asked, "Hey, where'd they go?"

Prue smiled as she thought of her sisters' favorite past times. "Piper
probably went for the kitchen things, and Paige went for her artwork. I need to
get something from my Mother's room. I'll only be gone a moment. Wait here," she
instructed, but as soon as she moved, Joxer followed. "What part of wait here
don't you understand?" she asked him.

"Gabrielle told me to come with you," he answered.

"She didn't mean right on top of me, just to come to my house. Wait
here," Prue repeated. She ran into her mother's room only to be followed closely
by Joxer. She turned swiftly, her mouth open to warn him, but before she could
get as much as one syllable out, he had pushed the door. Joxer thought the door
shut because of his push, but Prue knew that it had slammed shut of its own
accord. "You shouldn't have done that," she said. "We can't get out of here."

"What do you mean? All I have to do is open the door," Joxer said. The
first thing he noticed was that there was no handle on the door. "Where's the
handle?" he asked, glancing nervously around.

"There isn't one. I told you not to follow me. We keep a very special
Book here, and one of the protections is that any one who is not a Halliwell who
comes into this room will be trapped. So guess what? You just trapped us in
here!" Her eyes blazed at him. "Why can't you follow a simple order?!"

"Why couldn't you just tell me why you didn't want me to follow you
instead of telling me not to follow you? Gabrielle said to follow you."

"Well, Gabrielle can't get us out of here!" Prue said. "I think . . . My
family doesn't even know we're in here, and they won't be able to get me out
either!"



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

Elsewhere in the house, Prue's sisters had gathered up what they needed
and were looking for Prue. They couldn't find her. "The Book," Piper finally
said. "She must have gone for the Book."

Only then did Phoebe notice the door to their mother's and grandmother's
room was shut. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as she stared at it. "Uh-oh!"

"Uh-oh what?" Paige's arms were full of her art and supplies, and they
made a great bustling sound as she turned to look in the direction Piper and
Phoebe were already looking in. Seeing that the door was shut, she spoke for all
of them. "Crap!"



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

Meanwhile, back at the auction, Brendan had been watching everything
from the shadows of an alley he had chosen to hide in. He had never been too far
from Jack and Faith and could have easily ran to their aid at any time. He had
continued to keep checking on Jack as they both waited for Will to be released
to the block even while watching Faith retrieve Dawson. She was about to walk
past his alley when he stepped just out of the shadows and whispered her name,
"Faith." He jerked his head urgently toward the alley.

Faith had actually been scanning the alleys for Brendan, knowing that
they needed to be together when the fight started and also realizing that she
could use his help to free the boy from his chains, when Brendan had shown
himself. She nodded and began to follow him into the alley even as he ducked
quickly back into the shadows.

Despite the chains, Dawson smiled. He finally had a name for his
beloved! {Faith! It's such a beautiful name!} he thought. {Faith Leery sounds
good to me. I hope she likes it.} He almost stumbled over the chains which were
way too big for his small body in his efforts to keep up with her. He was glad
for a chance to sit down in the alley. He had been standing forever as they had
had him tied up against the wall so that every one could see him. He was
exhausted but still smiling as he kept thinking to himself, {Faith, a beautiful
name for a beautiful woman, and she's all mine!}

Faith still had not spoken to the boy, and even now, as she released his
chain and let him sit, she turned her attention to Brendan instead. "Want the
hands or the feet, Wolfboy?" she asked him as one hand slipped between the
tight, black leather of her bodice and her breasts.

The sound Brendan made in the depths of his throat was akin to a wounded
pup, and Faith looked at him in questioning surprise. Seeing the look in his
eyes, she was quick to reassure him. "Hell no, not that!" It was then that she
slipped out a pick from between her breasts. She twirled it in her fingers, and
he breathed a sigh of relief.

Shaking his head, Brendan told her, "You could have said that to begin
with."

"How was I supposed to know you were gonna jump to eatin' the kid?"

"WHAT?!" Dawson screeched out loud. "You're gonna eat me?! Please don't!
I'm bony! I don't have any meat! I won't be any trouble! I promise!" he said in
a high-pitched voice, almost screaming his words. He had never expected the girl
of his dreams to eat humans! What was she -- a Vampire?! He prayed that she
wasn't and that she wouldn't eat him, not that way any way. To be eaten while
still alive would be a horrid way to go! He struggled to rise to his feet, but
he couldn't get up for the chains.

When Dawson had first began screeching so fearfully, Faith had thrown
back her head in laughter. Brendan had looked at her, stunned and loudly
clearing his throat until she'd finally looked again. Only then did she see the
true fear shining in the boy's panicked blue eyes. "Easy, kid," she told him,
placing her hands on his shoulders and gently pushing him back down. "We're not
going to eat any one. Wolfboy could," she said with a toss of her head in
Brendan's direction, "but never does, and I'm just a bitch, not a Vamp, Were, or
anything like that."

Dawson almost collapsed upon himself as he sat back down. Today had been
the most horrible day of his life yet the most exciting at the same time. Had it
really only been earlier that morning that he had been laid for the first time
by the same beautiful woman who now owned him? He couldn't get over it. He sat
quietly, waiting for her to get the chains off. His arms ached to hold her, and
his body craved her touch. He desperately wanted her to ride him again but not
in front of the Wolfboy. He would have to bide his time. They'd be alone soon
enough, and maybe he'd be recovered enough that he could interest her again. At
least, he hoped so.

"Didn't mean to make ya wet yourself," Faith told him as he seemed to
relax again under her touch. She could feel his muscles under her fingertips and
found that she could not resist slowly running her hands down his arms. She
decided she'd deal with the chains that bound his hands.

The touch of her hands sent thrills racing up and down his body, but her
words angered him. "I didn't wet myself, Faith," he spat out, "and my name is
Dawson, not kid. But you did scare the Hell out of me. Too much has happened
today. I can't believe today started out so wonderfully only to end up turning
into my worst nightmare and then turning up good again because you saved me.
Thank you, Faith." He tried to smile at her, but he was so exhausted that he
barely managed it.

"Don't thank me," she was quick to tell him. "I only did it 'cause I
couldn't stand the way that bitch was measuring you. An animal doesn't even
deserve that kinda treatment, but once we get outta here, you're on yer own
again, kid."

Brendan shook his head on that note. "I don't think you can do that,
Faith. The Captain's got a share on this, and I don't think he's going to be so
quick to turn the kid a loose. He likes to get his money's worth."

"Jack's after Will, Virgin Boy," she snapped up at Brendan, her dark
eyes cutting through him, "not after Daw -- " She stopped herself quickly,
realizing she'd almost spoken his name. "Not after the boy here," she quickly
amended, "an' he already knew I was gonna set him free."

"Yes, but wasn't that before he gave you money? Who knows? He might want
him to take care of Will, so you can't just let him go till you talk to him."

"He doesn't need the kid for Will. He wants Will himself, if ya haven't
figured that out yet, and he's got the Lewis's for the healing."

"Yes. He doesn't have a servant for Will, though, and I'm sure he will
want Will to have one." Brendan continued, desperately scratching at any ideal
that might keep Faith from releasing Dawson before the kid was in a safe place.
"If you turn the kid a loose, he's going to be mad."

"I'm shaking," Faith bit back, sarcasm dripping heavily on her tongue,
"but I'll tell ya what, Wolfie. Much as I hate it and as much as I don't give a
damn, you've got a point. So here." She tossed the chain's lead at him. "Have a
field day, but if I find out he's bein' used for slavery or that any of you
bastards have hurt him, there's gonna be some throat cutting," she promised. "I
don't care if it is the Captain's ass I have to kill; I'm not lettin' anybody
hurt that kid as long as I'm around him."

She had just finished opening the lock on the chains that bound Dawson's
hands. Letting them drop, Faith stood again and slipped the pick back into its
hiding place. She looked from Brendan to Dawson before turning back to Brendan.
"And don't get him killed." With that said, she turned to walk out of the alley.

"Where are you going, Faith?" Brendan called after her.

"To kill something," she snapped, her brown eyes blazing black, "but
don't worry. I'll be around if you get that mangy fur of yours in a wrangle."
With that, she left the alley, leaving the two alone.



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

Meanwhile, Prue was pacing the floor and glaring angrily at Joxer. "You
know they're going to leave us! We'll never get out of here!"

"Sure we will," Joxer said. "Gabrielle wouldn't leave me." He looked
around for a window or another door but saw that there were neither. "Did you
say your mother did a spell on this? Well, why don't you just undo it?"

"I can't. I -- I don't know how to do spells!"

"But you're a Witch!" he yelped.

"Yes, but I don't have any powers. Mother didn't want us knowing. She
thought it would protect us."

"Your mother and your grandmother were Witches yet they never told you
anything. Gee, some women you can never get to shut up, and some women never say
anything! HELP!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, hoping some one would hear him.

"SHUT UP!" Prue screamed back at him. "Nobody can hear you, and that
means NOBODY!"

"You can!" Joxer retorted instantly. Prue pushed him. She had had too
much of the little man. Would somebody please come and rescue her?!



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

Brendan shook his head as he watched Faith go. "You're going to have to
learn to overlook her, Dawson," he told the kid as he knelt beside him to free
his feet. "Believe me, that's the only way any of us get through the day without
battling her."

"She's beautiful," Dawson sighed. "Why's she so angry?" he asked the
wolfman.

"Who knows?" Brendan asked with a roll of his shoulders. He'd often
tried to figure Faith out but never gotten anywhere close to doing so. "Believe
it or not, she actually prides herself on that bit -- attitude of hers."

Dawson didn't know how to answer that, so instead he said, "Thanks for
helping me and for not eating me. It was such a relief when she bought me, but
she doesn't want me. Why?"

Brendan could smell the kid's emotions and knew he had it bad. "I hate
to be the one to break it to you, Dawson, but she's never wanted any one twice."

"But I intend to marry her!" It slipped out of his mouth before Dawson
could stop himself. "I'll make her happier than she's ever been! Then she won't
be so bitchy! She won't need that attitude any more."

Brendan reached a hand up to pat Dawson's shoulder reassuringly. "Keep
telling yourself that."

"You'll see. It might take a long time, but I'll win her heart. No
matter how long it takes, I won't stop until I do."

Brendan didn't want to be the one to tell the kid that Hell would
permanently freeze over before any one managed to melt Faith's ice, so instead
he changed the subject. "Tell me," he spoke quietly. "Have you ever been in a
fight?"

"No. Not really. My Father beat the Hell out of me, but that's not
really a fight. I tried to fight back against him, but I'm just not any good at
it and he was my Father. Why?"

Brendan breathed a silent sigh of relief that Dawson had not seen him
wince when he'd spoken of the beatings he endured at his father's hands.
"Because by the time that auction's over," he answered, "all Hell's going to
break loose. You'd best stick close to me and the others. We'll protect you, but
don't trust any one unless you can tell they're with us." He still hoped more of
the crew would come for he knew that there was no way that Jack, Faith, and he
could take on every one in the place and live through the battle. Although his
own life was not important to him, Jack's and even Faith's lives were. He
straightened and pocketed his pick as the rest of the chains fell away from
Dawson. "Can you stand?" he asked him, knowing he was exhausted but would have
to force himself at least a little further.

After a moment's struggling, Dawson managed to get to his feet. "Thank
you, mister. I'll stay close to you."

"My name's Brendan," he replied. Remembering Faith's constant taunts, he
added, "Not Wolfboy."

"Well, she calls me kid. My name's Dawson." He extended his hand to
Brendan.

Brendan took the boy's outstretched hand and shook it in his own, much
larger hand. He was careful not to use too much strength. Releasing him, he
walked to the mouth of the alley. "Come here, Dawson, and look out. Do you see
Faith?"

Dawson walked to the edge of the alley and looked out but shook his head
when he could not spot Faith. Brendan did see Faith, but as she was already
picking a fight, he decided it would be best not to point her out to the kid
after all. "What about that man with the parrot on his shoulder?" he tried
again.

Dawson could see a man with a parrot on his shoulder. "I see him."

"Now look a couple places to his right. See the man dressed in all the
lace?"

"Yes, I see him. He's a dandy, isn't he?"

Laughter broke from Brendan's throat at first, but he quickly hid it in
coughing. "Not highly likely," he told the boy after clearing his throat.
"That's only a disguise," he whispered to him. "That man's our Captain

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