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 Twenty-three
Jack had barely taken one step onto the plank leading up to the Witch
when he realized that he wasn't ready to go yet. He had not gone back to Will's
and collected anything he could find for him. He walked the rest of the way up
the plank and looked around for some one he knew he could trust. Spying Wesley,
he called out to him, "Wes, I have to return to town, and I need you to watch
these things for me."

Wes eyed them suspiciously, wondering what Jack had managed to steal
this time, but nodded gravely. "I'll put them in my lab. They'll be safe there."

"Thanks," Jack said. "I'll return for them shortly. You also need to get
Cole to pay the merchants for what they're delivering now."

"Don't be long, Jack," Wes warned. "We've got to get a move on. I've
been looking at my scrolls, and Fred is right. Immense evil is coming. It will
destroy the entire town and any one or thing in its path. It's unlike anything
I've ever seen before and will be here soon!"

"Thank you for telling me," Jack answered. "I won't be gone long. Faith
will probably get here before I will. Make sure every one's aboard and ready to
sail."

"Aye aye, Captain," Wes replied obediently, hoping that for once Jack
had actually listened to him and would pay heed to it. He watched as Jack turned
and ran back toward the town.



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Jack did not slow until he reached the smithy's. He opened the door to
find it completely dark, the fire having gone out. He did not see the shop owner
anywhere but figured that he was out, drunk and unconscious, somewhere. He moved
further into the shop, glancing around in hopes of seeing anything of Will's but
having not a clue as to where to find anything of value that might belong to
him.

He did not see the donkey until he felt the air move past him as the
donkey kicked backwards, his hooves barely missing Jack. "What the Hell?!" Jack
exclaimed as he spun around, grabbing his sword, to find that he was only facing
a tied donkey. He reached out, untied the donkey, and swatted him on the butt.
He had hoped that the donkey would go out the back door that was open, but he
merely continued to chew on bits of hay and stare at Jack.

Seconds later, the donkey moved closer to Jack and looked him straight
in the face. He swallowed the hay, then exclaimed with a grin, "Hey, I remember
you!" Jack fell backward onto his butt, and the donkey brayed in laughter.

"Did you just talk?!" Jack asked, so shocked that he was barely able to
get the words out.

"Well, didn't you?" the donkey asked.

"Yes, but I'm human!"

"Oh, yeah," the donkey replied sarcastically. "Sure humans can talk, but
animals? No way! They're just dumb, stupid things! Well, guess what, pal! This
one talks!"

Jack swallowed hard and wondered why Will had not told him that the
donkey could talk. Slowly getting to his feet and making sure that he kept a
good distance from the donkey, he asked, "If you're so smart and able to talk,
why are you hanging around this place?"

"I've got nowhere better to go, and the kid's not bad. First human I've
met that didn't need to be kicked."

Jack made sure there was a few extra inches between them. "Since you
know so much, where did Will keep his stuff?"

"His stall. Where else?"

"His stall?" Jack asked. "Show me."

"Why?" the donkey questioned, eyeing the pirate suspiciously.

"I want to get his stuff and take it to him. He's on my ship and he's
not coming back, so you might want to find a new place to go," Jack told him,
still watching the donkey's hooves.

At Jack's words, the donkey leapt into the air, joy spreading over every
inch of his face. "Well, hot dang, if the kid didn't manage to get away from
those bozos!"

"No, he got hurt by those bozos," Jack said, "but I managed to get to
him in time."

At his words, the donkey stilled and faced Jack with as somber and
concerned expression on his face as could have been on any human's. "How is he?"

"He's sleeping now and is healed, but he almost died. I killed the
bastard that was behind it. Don't you go telling anybody." Jack was still
surprised that he was actually carrying on an intelligent conversation with a
donkey. "We need to get Will's stuff, and we both need to get out of here. You
deserve better than this."

"I know that, but I don't have anywhere to go," the donkey admitted.
"Hey, wait a minute!" he exclaimed, grinning once more. "Maybe I can go with
you? Huh? Huh? Can I? Can I pleeeeeeeeeease?"

"Donkey, do you realize that I am on a ship and that we're going to be
out at sea? It's not really a good place for a donkey."

"Oh, pleeeeeeeeease," the donkey pleaded persistently. "It's gotta be
better than this dump!"

"Okay," Jack relented, still unable to believe what he was doing, "but
don't forget that I warned you. Now help me get Will's stuff."

"Oh, yeah!" the donkey exclaimed, strutting as he pranced in a little
dance around Jack. "We're bad! We're bad! We're Pirates, huh huh!"

Jack could not help but to laugh. He had never met a more unusual
animal. He couldn't see why the donkey would want to be on the ship since he was
a land animal and figured he might regret it, but there was no way that he could
tell him no. The donkey seemed to have formed such an attachment for Will that
he figured Will had one for him, as well. Jack looked around, spied a cart, and
began loading it with the forge and other equipment he saw laying around.

The donkey had continued to prance around, still dancing giddily, when
Jack finished collecting the equipment that was laying around. Donkey was
standing by a door by that time and called out to him, "It's over here! You
know, I always deserved better than this place, and so did that kid. That old
fart even made his room out of a stall!"

Jack walked over and looked inside the stall. It was neat and orderly,
and Will had tried his best to make it look like a home. Jack could not believe
how small it was. {Poor Will!} he thought. {Bad times are over for you, my
love,} he promised. He took a blanket and began to put Will's few clothes and
other things he saw in the room in it. Then he tied a knot in it.

Will hardly had anything. Where had the money that he had given him for
the swords gone? "Donkey," he asked, "did Will hide his money somewhere?"

"Sure did," Donkey said with a nod. "Come on, and I'll show you."
Glancing over his shoulder a few times to make certain that the pirate was
indeed following, Donkey walked back over to where he had been chained to the
equipment. He tapped his hoof down on a spot on the floor. "Below that board."

Jack walked over, grabbed the board, and pulled it upward. There were
three sacks under it. He did not open them but slipped them inside his shirt.
Whatever was in there was Will's, and he had no business knowing what it was
unless Will wanted him to know. He looked at Donkey. "Have we got everything
now?"

Donkey paused, thinking, for a change, before he answered. His gaze
traveled slowly around the shop as he ascertained that the pirate had gotten all
of the tools. He knew most of them belonged to the drunkard who owned the
smithy, but the man didn't even deserve the clothes he wore. Finally, looking
back at the pirate, he asked, "We've got all of Will's, but can I pleeeeease
have a bag of food?"

"To the store, then?" Jack asked. "We'd best get you several bags for we
are going on a long journey and there's not much food for donkeys aboard."
Donkey was looking at him as if he were about to cry, and Jack paused, looking
at him. "What?" he asked uneasily, wondering if he was about to be kicked.

"The store? For me? Really?" the donkey asked in a small, quiet voice.

"Of course! Where else would we get oats?"

"Oh, man!" Donkey exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear yet again. "I
think I love you, man!"

"Don't get any ideals!" Jack nearly screeched, raising his hands out
toward Donkey who stopped just at his hands, his tongue hanging slightly out of
his mouth. "Now you get to pull the cart, and we'd best get going."

Donkey nodded and pranced around, ready and happy to accept the cart.
"Oh, man! Bags of oats for me! I don't believe it!" Jack looked at the harness,
holding it in his hand and wondering how to connect Donkey to the cart. Donkey
told him step by step, and soon they were out the door and heading for the
store.



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It was much too quiet in the holding cell area. Angel returned only to
find Joxer and Carl asleep on the floor and the cell empty. Something crunched
under his boots, and he looked down to find shards of ice littering every inch
of the floor he walked upon. Looking back up, he saw that the cell was broken
and two bars were completely gone.

"Holy Hell!" he exclaimed. "Where could she have gotten to?!" He began
to sniff the air, following her trail. How had she gotten past him? He'd only
taken his eyes off of the door for bare seconds when he had looked to see if he
could spot where Cordelia had gotten to. Jack would kill him if the woman got
away!

In truth, the four beings who had escaped from the cell were still
lurking in the shadows of the ship not too far away. They had just made it to
the railing and the blonde had began to look around when the dragon on her
shoulder cooed urgently. She understood his message instantly and dived over the
railing and into the water before Angel could return to the deck. The wolf and
lioness immediately followed their mistress.



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Upon reaching the store, Jack saw that it was quiet. Had the man closed
for the day? He had been about to reach for the handle of the door when it
opened and he saw Faith. She did not even see him at first as she took a bite of
the apple she carried and started to walk off. She found her way blocked and
only then did she look up to find Jack with a donkey with the stupidest
expression she'd ever seen on his face. "What are you doing here?" she asked in
surprise.

"I'm here to get oats and whatever else donkeys like to eat." He looked
questioningly at Donkey.

Faith quirked an eyebrow at him. "We're taking that with us?"

"Yes," Jack said. Upon seeing that Donkey was not going to talk to him,
he walked into the store and back to the sacks that he saw resting against the
back wall. {Corn, oats . . . } He wondered what else donkeys would like to eat
even as he grabbed a bag of each and headed for the door. "Faith," he called as
he got there, "would you get a bag and fill it with apples? I think donkeys
might eat apples. I've got to get several more bags of feed."

"Sure," Faith answered with a shrug from where she was perched on top of
the counter. Taking the last bite of her own apple, she tossed its core to the
floor, then leaned back and grabbed one of the bags that was behind the counter.

"Thanks," he called even as he returned to the back wall.

"You've still gotta tell me what the Hell's up with this donkey,
though!" she called after him.

"He's Will's pet," Jack answered her. "I wasn't planning on taking him,
but when I got there to get Will's stuff, I couldn't leave him." Jack returned
for two more bags even as he was talking. He collected three bags each of corn
and oats. He hoped Donkey wouldn't need more than that. The apples would be a
treat. He headed out to the cart and loaded the bags, noticing that Faith had
several bags collected as well.

Faith returned at that moment with the bag of apples. She saw Jack
looking at the bags she'd collected and took the opportunity to inform him,
"There's a few clothes in there for that kid. I don't know what you did with
him, and I don't wanna know as long as you keep your word. I trust you got rid
of him, but knowing you, you know where he is and can get it to him."

Jack did not answer her at first. Why did she think he could have gotten
rid of the kid already? He hadn't had a chance yet. "I'll give them to him," he
said. "He's safe and out of the way. We'd better get a move on. Wes said it was
coming soon. I don't know what it is, but it can't be good."

"Is it ever?" Faith asked though she was not worried in the least.

Jack shook his head in answer even as he loaded the last bag onto the
cart. Looking at Donkey, he said, "Head for the dock, and move fast."



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Angel's keen hearing picked up the splashes, and he raced to the
railing. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" he yelled at Crys. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
DOING! WE'RE ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

She started to call back to him but stopped, realizing that it would do
her no good. She had already tried to talk sense into him, but he listened no
more than those she had left behind at her homeland. Instead, she only swam
faster, her swift and sure strokes carrying her ever further from the ship.
Cindy and Elvira flanked their mistress, and the dragon flew just over their
heads.

"WHAT WOULD IT GET TO TAKE YOU TO TURN BACK, CRYS? IT'S NOT SAFE FOR YOU
OUT THERE!"

"I CAN'T TURN BACK!" she yelled back at him, her voice revealing her
exasperation. Why did so few actually listen when she tried to protect them?!



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It was quiet all around them, and Jack did not like the feel of the
tension he was picking up. Both Faith and the Donkey were feeling the same
pressure and shared his thoughts, but only Donkey glanced at Jack. He reached
over and nudged his hand with his snout. "You're welcome, Donkey. Now we'd
better get to the ship."

Donkey nodded and picked up speed for a moment before stopping suddenly
in his tracks. "Whoa," he whispered to Jack. "The babe's not with us."

Jack looked back to see that Faith was staring at something in the sky,
her face blanched white with terror. "What is it, Faith?" he asked, urgency in
his voice. He walked back toward her, his eyes drawn skyward. What he saw
stopped him in his tracks, as well. "DAMNATION," he thundered, "WHAT THE HELL IS
THAT?!"

The only thing that he had ever seen before that came close to
resembling what he was now looking at was a hurricane, but this was no
hurricane. It was at least twice the size of the massive one he had been caught
in before and was pure white. Snow and ice spun around at blinding rates in its
winds, but what was perhaps the scariest thing about it of all was the face that
peered angrily out from deep within its bowels. Glowing blood-red eyes swept the
landscape, and what looked like fangs glistened from a mouth that was open in a
piercing howl that only then reached his ears.

Donkey had also turned to look in the direction the humans were looking
in, and he was the first to break free from staring at it. "RUN!" he hollered at
the top of his lungs. "IT'S COMING THIS WAY!" He then transformed into a brown
and gray streak as he took off, hoping that one of the pirates would get ahead
of him and lead the way as he did not know where the dock was but never daring
to slow down.

Jack's heart had almost stopped beating until he heard Donkey yell. He
reached out and grabbed Faith. "Hurry, Faith! We must get to the ship!" She
stood as still as a statue and continued to stare at it. He shook her. "Faith?!"

His shaking stirred her back to her senses. She had not seen eyes that
red and full of evil since she had been a child, and the sight of the creature
had taken her back to another time in her life. Her memories shattered, and she
found Jack standing before her, his face full of panic, fear, and concern. She
did not answer him but only took off running for the dock.

Jack ran, too, hoping that Donkey would slow so that he could catch him.
He finally caught up to him and looked at him even while continuing to run as
fast as his legs could carry him. "Do you even know where you're going?!" he
asked.

"Yeah!" Donkey answered without hesitation. "Away from whatever the Hell
that thing is!"

They turned onto the street that led to the dock and stopped again in
their tracks as their eyes fell upon what appeared to be statues. Jack realized
that it was humans but humans unlike any he'd ever seen. They were made of ice!
What the Hell was going on?! he wondered frantically. Doctor Doom had finally
hit upon a tragedy and hit it dead on the head.

"Fuck!" the sharp exclamation spilled forth from Faith's lips as she,
too, stood, looking at the people. "They were real!" she told Jack. "I saw that
bitch," she pointed to one of the ice statues, "in the store just a little while
ago!"

"Wh-What happened?!" Jack stammered out. "Only the Gods know!" he
answered his own question, shaking his head as he forced himself to calm and
fought to maintain control of their situation. "We've got to get out of here!
Run like you've never run before, Faith! Get on the Witch!"

"I'm not leaving you, Jack," she told him, not even realizing the words
that spilled from her mouth, "so you'd better haul your butt, too!"

"I plan to!" Jack said even as he joined her in running again. He yelled
back at Donkey, "THIRD SHIP ON THE RIGHT!"

Donkey sped past them instantly. He did not even pause as he flew up the
ship's plank, dragging the cart right behind him. They hit the deck with a thud
and Donkey yelled right in the face of a stunned man who stood before him. "GET
US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Everybody froze in their steps, and all eyes turned at him. The meek
brunette who stood beside the stunned man even screamed. "Yeah, I'm a talking
donkey!" Donkey snapped. "Get over it, and GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Jack and Faith hit the plank together. "MOVE IT, WES!" Jack yelled at
Wesley, who stood, stunned and still staring at the donkey in front of him.
"It's coming after us! Hope to Gods it didn't see us!"

It was at that time that the blood-curdling howls met their ears, and
the group turned toward the sound only to see the thing at the mouth of the
dock. The crew sprang into action without another word spoken, all hands doing
everything they could to ensure their escape. The plank was quickly pulled in,
and the ship set sail.



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Angel had jumped over board and had swam quickly after Crys. He didn't
know how to stop her. The woman would not listen to reason, and he didn't want
to have to knock her out and drag her back. Finally reaching her, he grabbed her
arm and pulled her back around to face him. He was about to try arguing with her
again when he heard a high-pitched, whistling sound. Looking up, he spied what
appeared to be a Demon of some kind inside of a blizzard. The Demon's blood-red
eyes were furiously scanning the area, and Angel realized that it was looking
for some one or something. "Is that him?" he whispered to Crys.

She didn't have to turn around to know what Angel was looking at. She
could tell from the sounds that met her ears, and the terrified look on her
paled face told him more than her words could. "Yes! Damn it, I told you I had
to get away if you and the others were to stay safe!"

"He doesn't see us down here, probably because he is not expecting any
one to be swimming. We are in the ocean," he said as though that made perfect
sense. "We need to get back to the ship. If you'll give us a chance, you'll find
that we can hide you very easily from him. If you stay here, you'll die. Is that
what you want? Do you want to die and leave your babies behind with no one to
take care of them?" He looked into her terrified face. "Give us a chance. We're
Pirates! We can fight anything!" he said with a bravado he really didn't feel at
the moment.

"Angel, you don't understand! You don't know what he's capable of!" She
sighed, her mind whirling as she tried to think of how to make him understand.

"Come back to the ship with me where we'll be safe and you can tell me
your story. If I think, at the end of it, you'll make us unsafe, I won't try to
stop you again."

For the first time, she looked behind her. She watched, her heart
pounding frantically, as his blood-red eyes roamed the area, passing right over
them. "We don't have that kind of time! He'll spot us at any second now, and
when he does, he'll turn us to ice!"

"He will if we're out in the open and he actually sees us. He doesn't
appear to be looking down here or it could simply be that we are protected by
the Lewises. They are Sorceresses of a high order. They're cloaking the ships so
that he can't see them. Come back to the ship, and he won't be able to see you."
He tried again to reason with her, speaking as though she was a child.

"They may be powerful, but they're not more powerful than him! No one
is!" she exclaimed, her voice and the frantic beating of her heart telling him
that she truly believed her words. It was then that she saw his eyes narrow as
he looked down at something. It was not them, however, and she followed his gaze
only to see him turn a boat of innocent sailors to ice. "No!" she cried. "Not
again!" Her animals cried out, as well, and they pressed more tightly around
both their mistress and Angel.



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All around the Witch, other sea-faring vessels were taking off, as well,
but already they could hear screams. They looked back just as the screams
stopped in mid-pronunciation and the screamers and their boat were turned to
ice. Nearing the mouth of the harbor, they were joined in immediate
accompaniment by the Pearl. The ships' escape was aided by Celina and Katrina
working a spell to cloak both ships and excess winds that seemed to sweep
mysteriously down from the sky, pushing each vessel that had not already been
turned to ice ten times faster than its normal speed.

Jack looked up to see what was causing the winds and smiled at Ororo.
She flew high above them in the darkened sky, and he could tell from the
gestures of her hands, that she was controlling the winds. It was going to be
really good indeed to have a Weather Witch. He had only heard about them in the
past, but now he was lucky enough to have one on his own ship. She was already
earning her keep.



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Memories filled Crys' mind, and she had to fight to stay with the
present even as tears raced down her cheeks. "Is that what you want to happen?!"
she asked Angel, turning back to face him as she could not bare to see the
monster destroy more when all he was truly after was her. "All he wants is me!
If you let me go, everybody else will be safe!"

"Wouldn't you like to be free of him once and for all, Crys? Nothing is
all powerful. Everything has a flaw somewhere, a weakness. Just because you
don't know what his is doesn't mean he doesn't have one. If you come back with
me, the Lewises will keep you safe and perhaps, between all three of you, you
will be able to find what his weakness is. Then you could destroy him and you
would be free. You and your babies would be safe for all time." He didn't know
what else to tell her. He believed they could defeat him if she'd only give them
the chance.

"Don't you think I've tried to defeat him?! I've tried again and again,
Angel! Blue's engulfed him in fire! We've even seen him fall into a volcano, and
still he came back! He always comes back, and even what you're seeing now is
only a small fraction of what he's capable of! If I was to let him take me,
you'd be safe! The others would be safe! And yes, I love my babies, but they'd
be safe too!"

It was at that moment that Blue let out a low roar. He circled around
her, then perched on Angel's shoulder. Looking directly into her eyes, he began
to coo in a rapid series.

Angel listened in rapt attention as Blue scolded his mistress. "Listen
to what he's saying, Crys. He speaks the truth. The Demon only wants you because
he wants your power and he doesn't want you revealing who and what he is. Do you
really want to give him your power? If he was not already the most powerful,
wouldn't that make him the most powerful?"

"He already is," she told him. "I'm nothing compared to him." She looked
at him with questioning eyes, however, upon realization that he actually
understood what Blue was saying. Outside of herself, Elvira, and Cindy, there
were only two other living beings who knew Blue and understood every sound the
little dragon made.

It was then that Blue set off again, reminding her that she knew that
Frostbite wanted any one who knew the truth about him. How could they ever have
a chance at safety without her? Of course, there was Jack, but they couldn't
stay with him as he was always flitting around the world.

Angel wondered who Jack was but figured out that the Demon was
Frostbite. "Who's Jack?" he asked.

"Jack Frost," she told him, looking him dead in the eyes. "That's
right," she added, seeing the flicker of surprise therein. "That Jack Frost."

"What are y'all -- Elementals or something?" He reached up and scratched
the little dragon on the head. Angel did not like water and was hoping that Crys
would soon make up her mind to return to the ship so that he could get the
filthy stuff off of him and dry off.

"Precisely. Ice Elementals. Cold Elementals. Whichever you want to call
us. You've heard about Jack. You know how powerful he is. That thing," she
jerked her head toward the blizzard, "tried to kill us both when we were four
years-old. We both barely escaped."

Angel stared at her in astonishment. Just how old was this beautiful
woman? Had he found some one, finally, as ageless as he himself was? He hoped to
find that out later. "Crys, you do see that he's not seeing you now?" he asked.

She looked back up at the blizzard. He did not appear to be seeing them.
That much was true enough. "He just hasn't spotted us yet."

Blue spit at that. He was able to mask, as well, and could tell very
easily when he was being masked. Before any one could stop him and ignoring his
beloved mistress' frantic call, he flew straight up and let out a huge roar.
Frostbite did not even blink. Indeed, he made no reaction whatsoever.

Crys had been about to throw up a shield of ice to stop Blue, but the
dragon had proved to be faster than she. When he roared, she went completely
still, as though she had been frozen herself, with fear, but when Frostbite
ignored him, her mouth fell open in pure shock.

"See what I mean?" Angel asked gently. "Come back to the ship. You will
be safe there. We are masked. The Sorceresses are very strong, so strong that
not even your Fro -- "

Before Angel even knew what she was doing, Crys had whirled around and
covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't!" she told him, her tone as frantic and
urgent as her eyes. "Don't say his name! If you do, he'll hear you even if we
are cloaked!"

He nodded, and she dropped her hand. "Not even he can penetrate their
cloaking."

"For now," she had to admit even as Blue returned to them, "but we don't
know how long it can last." She took a deep breath, thinking over everything
both Angel and Blue had finally made her understand. Could it be possible? Could
she have a chance at a real life? Could her babies, the familiars she loved so
much and who were her dearest friends in all the world?



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

Things had happened so quickly aboard the Witch that Jack had almost not
had time to slip away and find Dawson, but he did finally manage to look for
him. He found him in the sleeping quarters and shook him to wake him up. Dawson
opened his eyes and rubbed them. "Huh?" he asked and then quickly sat up when he
realized that it was Captain Jack. "Yes, sir?" he said, jumping to his feet.

"Calm down, Dawson, and be easy," Jack told him. "I want you to stay
with us, but Faith wants you gone far away. What do you want to do?"

Dawson answered without even a second's hesitation, "I want to stay as
close as I can to her in case she needs me. She'll never admit it, but I still
want to be where I can help. I love her, Captain Jack!"

"Figured as much," Jack said with a nod. "I want you to stay hidden as
much as possible. Do not let her see you under any circumstances. Find another
place to sleep, and take all of your stuff with you."

"I don't have much," Dawson told him.

He handed Dawson the bag. "You do now. If you need anything, get word to
me by Cole. I'll tell him to keep an eye out for you. Just whatever you do,
don't let Faith know you're still on board."

"Yes, sir, I won't," Dawson vowed, "but I will still be close to her.
She just won't see me."

"Good," Jack said. "Best hide now. She is aboard." He turned away from
Dawson and headed back up the stairs. When he turned around to look at Dawson
one last time, he was gone. He hoped Faith did not realize that the boy was
aboard or there would be Hell to pay.

He then returned to the deck in time to hear Donkey fussing. It seemed
that Donkey just could not be quiet, and he was beginning to give Jack a
headache. He laid a finger on his nose. "Sh!" he said to Donkey. "Quiet down
now! You could have a heart attack! Wouldn't want that to happen."

"A heart attack?!" Donkey repeated, looking at Jack as though he had
taken leave of his senses. "Yeah, right!" he added, prancing around and shaking
his head. (He had been released from his harness shortly after arriving aboard
the ship.) "Like I'm really going to have a -- " His voice cut off abruptly, and
he suddenly began to choke. His tongue flapped wildly around, tossing spit
toward Jack but not actually hitting him. He rose up on his hind hooves and
stumbled around before toppling over backwards. His hoof landed on his chest,
his head hit the dock, and his eyes shut. His tongue lolled out at an odd angle
from his mouth, and he lay completely still.

Jack went over and pushed him. "Get up from there, Donkey! You're the
worst clown I have ever seen, and you don't scare me any at all! Why, if you do
kick off, I'll just push you off the side of the ship and let the fishes eat
you!"

Donkey jumped up at that . . . and right into Jack's arms. "NO!" he
screamed, pawing at Jack as he tried to climb even further up him. "You wouldn't
do that! You wouldn't let them get me!"

Laughter came from behind them, and a tiny horn blew from a button. "You
know, I was going to say that I resented your saying that he was the worst clown
you'd ever seen, but I have to admit," came Morph's voice, "that I think he's
even got Tom and me beat!"

Jack shook his head even as he pushed Donkey down. "Morph, get out of
the clown suit," he commanded, referring to the clown that Morph had transformed
into. "Gods, I swear! All of you are going to drive me crazy with your
foolishness, and if I hear 'I'm bad' one more time, Donkey, no oats tonight."

"Can I have some corn?" he asked hopefully.

"Only if you're good." He looked around for Tom but did not see him; he
was relieved that at least one of the comedians was not bounding around him.



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

Though her tears had stopped falling, her ice blue eyes still shimmered
as she again looked up into Angel's soulful eyes. "All right," she said at last.
"I'll come back, but you have to let me tell you. Even if you don't know, he'll
still kill you if he finds out that I've had anything at all to do with you. The
others have to know, as well, because everybody on both of the ships is put in
danger by my presence and was even the first moment I sat foot on the Pearl."

"Okay," Angel agreed, relieved and glad that she had finally decided to
give them a chance, "but first thing, let's get back to the ship and get the
Hell out of here. Once we outdistance him, I'll tell Jack that you need to tell
every one what's going on."

She nodded. "But Angel," she added, "if even one person or animal
doesn't want me on there after they know what I have to tell you all, I'm not
going to stay."

A loud crashing noise caused Angel to turn around and look behind him at
the city of Port Royal even as it shattered into a million pieces. The sound
started tears flowing back down Crys' face instantly; she did not need to look
to know what it was made from. "Well, I'll be damned!" Angel said. "Jack was
right! Its evil has destroyed it!"

She shook her head. "No. He did that."

"Yes, but that town deserved to die," Angel said, wishing that he could
somehow stop her tears but knowing that he could not. She did not mean anywhere
near as much to him as Cordelia did, wherever she had gotten off to, but he
already cared deeply for her. "It was full of bigoted, self-righteous people who
crippled, killed, and maimed both animals and humans all in the name of their
religion, rather it was greed, money, or God. They deserved to go." He turned
back to swimming toward the ship, hoping that Jack would realize that he was not
on the ship and that they would wait for them.

Crys' heart remained heavy as she followed after Angel. He might be
right about the humans, but she knew that animals and children had perished, as
well. Surely, there had to have been some innocence in that town, and she bore
that cost heavily upon her shoulders and heart. It was then that she suddenly
felt herself plucked from the water, and a scream broke from her lips. Roars
surrounded her as her animals were also snatched up, and ahead of them, she
could see Angel being lifted from the water, as well. Yet she could see nothing
and only felt wind.

"Thanks for the lift, 'Ro!" Angel called. "I was afraid Jack was going
to leave us!"

Crys looked in the direction Angel called to and was surprised to find a
black woman with long, white hair streaming out around her and a gentle smile
looking down at them from high in the sky. "He would not intentionally do so,"
she told the man whose name she thought was Angel but was not certain.

"Never in a million years," Angel agreed, "but he doesn't know we aren't
on board."

Ororo nodded. "That shall be remedied soon enough," she assured him,
"but would you rather me set you on the Pearl or the Witch?"

"Where Jack is."

At his answer, Ororo looked around, her blue eyes scanning the ships
until they finally fell on Jack who seemed to be rather surrounded at the
moment. Her eyes widened slightly. Was it her imagination, or was that donkey
talking?! His mouth certainly appeared to be moving in the sounds of human
language, but surely she must be mistaken. She gently lowered Angel, the blonde,
and the three animals to the Witch's deck.

Crys had been startled out of her wits by the Weather Witch, but the
talking donkey did not phase her at all. After all, she had grown up around
talking reindeer. "Hey!" Donkey yelled. "It's raining people! Don't get it on
me!" He moved closer to Jack.

Jack was surprised to see Angel flying through the air along with the
rest of his company. They were all dripping wet. He wondered just what had
happened, how the woman had gotten out of the cell, and why they were all wet.
"Long story?" he asked, looking at both of them.

"Sort of," Angel replied.

"Then let it wait 'til we reach the Pearl," Jack said. "We keep our
laundry on our ship." He turned to watch as they came closer to the Pearl.

Crys shook her head. "Sir?" she spoke quietly.

"Yes?" Jack asked, turning to look at her.

"The story is one that both ships must be made aware of in the utmost
speed but must also wait until we can escape . . . " She glanced back at the
blizzard that was howling madly around the port. " . . . my uncle," she
finished, having to brace herself as she made the admission to a nearly complete
stranger but knowing that those two words would tell him a great deal more than
a long stream would have.

Angel stared at her in surprise. He would never have expected that they
were kin to each other.

Jack simply nodded, knowing that they must escape and that they were
coming very close to doing just that. "It can wait, miss," he told her in a
gentle voice, almost as surprised to realize that he still did not know her name
as he was to learn that the monster that was chasing after them was the uncle of
the woman who had so kindly healed his beloved Will, "for a little while." He
then turned back to watching and waiting for the Pearl for even though he owned
the Witch as well, he did not feel as comfortable on her decks and longed to be
on his own beloved mistress.



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

As she rose back into the sky whose clouds of snow and storm were almost
as dark as night, Ororo's attention immediately returned to the howling, Demonic
blizzard. She was just in time to see its blood-red eyes narrowing down at
another boat. She had seen him turn another boat and all it carried to ice and
knew that the boat he now looked at was about to share the other's fate. She had
not been in time the first time, but now that she had a warning, she would not
willingly allow it to take place again. "NO!" Thunder roared in unison with her
cry, and lightning shot from her hands.

The effects of Ororo's good intentions all happened at once and in the
space of just a few heartbeats. The lightning bolts she had thrown hit the
blizzard but bounced back; she barely had time to register their return before
she was struck by her own lightning. Screams and yells shouted from both the
Pearl's and Witch's decks as they saw her fall from the sky.

Tom, who had never strayed from Katrina and Celina, realized their and,
more importantly to him, his own mistake. They had cloaked their own ships but
either had not thought or had not had the power left to cloak the other vessels.
He dashed forward but did not speak a word to either of them. He placed one
gentle hand on each catwoman's shoulder instead and joined them in the chant.
The spell grew as it derived power from three now instead of just two who were
already tired, and they extended it together to include all the fleeing ships.

Crys had been one of the ones who had screamed at the sight of Ororo
being struck, and before any of the men around her could react, she had flown
into action. Ice had suddenly appeared under her feet and swiftly built a
makeshift bridge that carried her to Ororo.



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

Logan had been standing next to the rail, gripping it tightly with his
hands, ever since they'd left port. His eyes had never left 'Ro. He hated that
she was out there, a target almost, against whatever Demonic being was coming
against him. His claws slipped in and out; he did not even notice.

He was proud of what she was doing even as he was terrified at her
exposure. He saw her lift Angel, the blonde, and the animals back to the Witch.

For a brief instant, his mind slipped back to thoughts of what had
happened between him and Gabrielle. He had been expecting it for a long time and
was secretly relieved that, at last, it had happened and he was allowed to go
home to the Pearl at long last. He had had to put up a big fuss with Gabrielle
even though he had not wanted to. Xena and he had discussed it in the past, and
he knew she was glad that the truth was out at last. He hoped the ladies were
making up just fine. He loved both of them as a brother.

He was jerked back to the present as he saw something bounce back and
hit 'Ro. His mouth opened in a silent scream even as his body set into action.
Racing toward his beloved, he ignored everything in his path, jumping over
things that didn't move and pushing aside things, and bodies, that did. He flew
up to the crow's nest and then leaped skyward, his arms outstretched to catch
her, never thinking of how he was going to keep from crashing back to the ship.
He only hoped he could make it to the water.



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

Jack watched as a blur of yellow and black passed through the air. He
never could figure out why Wolverine liked those colors, but he was often to be
seen with them and could be spotted a mile away. He opened his mouth to yell at
him even as he saw him leap skyward. He did not want to lose him, because not
only was he a great fighter but he was a good friend. He gripped the rail and
closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer that something would save him.

Angel's mouth opened in surprise when he saw ice shoot from underneath
Crys, forming an ice bridge. He nudged Jack in the ribs. "Captain?" he said in a
voice of awe.

Jack opened his eyes. Had a miracle occurred? Had Wolverine managed to
survive? "Where did that come from?" he asked Angel.

"Crys," Angel said. "She made it. She's an Ice Elemental." They stood
side by side, watching, as the rescue occurred.

Donkey seemed to be surprisingly quiet as he watched the scene unveil
before them with eyes rounded by shock. He was standing beside Jack, his mouth
next to the Captain's ear, when he suddenly smacked his lips.

Jack smiled as Wolverine's feet landed on the ice, making a hard
thudding sound, and he was relieved to see that the ice was strong enough to
hold both of them up. It was then that Donkey smacked in his ear. Jack's fist
clenched; even as he turned, his fist gently met with Donkey's nose. "Don't. Do.
That!" he ground out. "Next time, it won't be gentle! What do you call that any
way?!"

Donkey looked at Jack with wide, innocent eyes. "What?" he asked, his
tone just as innocent.

"That Gods-awful sound you just made!"

Donkey cocked his head to one side, his face adopting a look of
confusion. He shook his head. "Don't know what you're talking about, Captain."

"Do it again, and you'll know," Jack threatened him. "Why don't you go
see if you can find Will?"

Donkey brightened at that suggestion. "Okay!" he exclaimed and pranced
off joyously despite the danger that surrounded them.

Jack hated to have deceived the donkey, but he just couldn't take any
more of his Gods-awful noises at that moment. He wondered if Donkey was ever
quiet or if he talked even in his sleep. His eyes returned to Wolverine and the
women.



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

Crys had almost reached Ororo when a blur passed by her. She barely had
time to register it as being a short, rough-looking man before he and Ororo, who
he had caught in his arms, fell onto the ice bridge.

Wolverine stepped carefully, not sure what he was standing on, but glad
that some one had thought to throw something out there for him to land on. It
felt very slippery, and he prayed that he would keep his footing. He did not
want to drop 'Ro. She was unconscious, and although she didn't weigh that much,
she was at least twice his height and he was having trouble keeping her off the
ground until a pair of hands slipped under his to assist him. "Thanks," he
muttered around a lot of hair. "Can't see where I'm goin'. Don't want to drop
'er."

"If you stand still," a voice that he had not heard before told him, "I
can heal her." Though he could not see her, she still looked at him with tears
shimmering in her ice blue eyes. "And I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Ya didn't have anythin' to do with this, but 'preciate it. Did
ya throw out whatever I'm standing on?" he asked. "What am I standing on? It
feels very slippery."

"Actually," she told him quietly, "I did . . . on both accounts." She
paused a moment, then told him further, "It's ice."

"Ice?!" he asked. "Where'd it come from? Normally I'd say it couldn't
exist here, this being the Tropics an' usually hot as Hell although today, it's
definitely not been hot. O' all things, snow and now ice! Will wonders never
cease?!"

"No," she told him gently. "Trouble never ceases."

"That's definitely true," he replied, "but when there's trouble, there's
always some one to help ya. Thanks again for the save. Now I've got to get 'Ro
down to the ship." He would not give her up, and he would not let go until his
feet were on the ship and he could lay her down. "Ya say somethin' about
healin'?" he asked even as he continued walking.

"Yes," she agreed. "If you could hold still for a moment, I could heal
her now even."

"Nope. Not till I get on the ship. I 'preciate the ice bridge, but I
don't trust it. I want my feet on the Pearl."

She shook her head, knowing fully well that the ice bridge was perfectly
safe, but then relented as she remembered that she had caused the bridge just as
much as she had caused Ororo to be hit. "I'll take us down then. You might want
to hold still for a moment."

"What do ya mean yer'll take us down? What are ya -- a giant?" He wished
he could see who was talking to him, but there was no way he could see around
'Ro.

"Not highly likely," she answered. Had the situation been any different,
she might have even laughed, but her voice remained as somber as her face. "I
control the ice."

"Wonderful! Is that anythin' like Weather Witchin'? I swear, you Witches
are somethin' else! We're lucky to have found ya!"

"No one's ever lucky to find me," she told him gently, "and I'm not
whoever you think I am." She began to slowly melt the bridge, and as it melted,
it took them closer to the deck.



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

Jack watched in amazement as the bridge began to withdraw on itself even
as it melted. Angel stepped forward to help but then realized that Wolverine
would not let go easily. "Jack," he nudged his friend, "maybe you could . . . "

"Thanks, Angel. Another second, and I would've thought of it. I'm just
totally amazed at this ice bridge! You said the woman made it? What is an Ice
Elemental? Is it anything like a Weather Witch?" Even as he was asking Angel, he
moved forward to meet Wolverine and the women. They landed, and Jack cleared his
throat. "Wolverine, may I help?"

If any other man would have asked if he could help, Wolverine would have
growled, but this was Jack and Wolverine would no more think of growling at him
than he would have growled at 'Ro. "'Preciate it, Captain. I could use a little
help." It took a lot for him to admit that.

Jack reached out and picked up 'Ro's legs. He felt Wolverine's hands
move down to her shoulders. "We'll lay her right here and give Crys a chance to
work on her. She's a healer," Jack said, talking reassuringly to Wolverine and
hoping he wasn't going to go berserk on them.

He had once seen Wolverine in a beserker rage, and the guy was
absolutely relentless. He had been butt-naked with only his boots on and had
almost wiped out an entire pirate ship on his own. They'd never said anything
about it to each other, but Jack was still grateful to him and would be to his
dying day. Wolverine had rescued Jack from that pirate ship. No one else knew
about their past, because neither one of them talked much about their pasts.
Jack relived his nightmares from time to time, and if Wolverine ever talked
about anything of the past, it was not about the times that he had pulled off
rescues.

The very moment that Crys had stepped off of the remainder of the puddle
that had been the bridge, she was surrounded by her animals. Cindy and Elvira
flanked her, and Blue settled in on her shoulder. They stood silently to the
side of the men, waiting for Crys' chance to heal Ororo but not making a single
sound.

Jack and Wolverine laid 'Ro gently on the deck, and Jack stepped back.
It was the first chance that Wolverine had had of seeing the strange woman and
her pets up close. "Thank ya fer the rescue, lady. I'd 'preciate it if ya'd heal
my 'Ro. Is there anythin' I need ta do?" He thought the lady was pretty, but he
couldn't even begin to imagine where she had gotten three such strange companion
animals.

She shook her head, her long, blonde hair shimmering down her back as
she did so. "Please do not thank me," she told him gently, "for it is my fault
that she was hit." She moved forward to kneel before Ororo, Cindy and Elvira
making every step she did.

Wolverine could not figure out why the woman kept blaming herself. After
all, she was not that Demonic being that he could still see up there, floating
around like some kind of a bleeding fairy. He had seen many things in his time
but none of them as weird as the things he had seen this day. "If ya say so,
ma'am," he finally got out. He knelt beside 'Ro, taking one of her hands in his.
"If I can ever do anythin' fer ya, just ask."

"I would never ask anything for helping where I can," she told him, even
as she withdrew her necklace from where she kept it hidden in the bodice of her
black grieving gown, "especially when it is my fault that they need healing."
She had seen him glance up at Frostbite who was still flying around in the sky,
constantly trying to find some sign of where the ships had disappeared to but
being unable to attack what he could not see. "He is after me," she told him.

Returning her attention to Ororo, she leaned forward and pressed the
crystal gently to the woman's forehead. It began to glow instantly and quickly
engulfed Ororo's body in a shining, blue light.

Wolverine could feel 'Ro's shallow breathing begin to quicken and
normalize. He was so relieved that he wanted to scream for joy, but he said
nothing because he did not want to disturb the healing the woman was doing. His
mind had caught onto the fact that the Demonic being was looking for the woman
and trying to wipe out everything in its path. He vowed it would not get her if
he had anything to say about it.

When the blue light ceased, Crys withdrew her necklace and tucked it
back into its hiding place. Standing, she backed up a couple of paces; both the
lioness and wolf continued to keep their steps with their mistress'. Elvira
bumped into something and glanced up only to see that it was Angel's leg.

"Nice girl," Angel spoke softly to the wolf.

Elvira's eyes shone up at him, and the Vampire could almost swear that
the wolf had smiled before she turned her attention back to Ororo who was slowly
coming to.

Ororo's blue eyes fluttered open, and she found Logan gazing down into
her face with deep concern. "Wolverine?"

"Yes, darlin', 'Ro?" he asked in a gentle voice.

She was slowly remembering what had happened and thought, from the way
her body felt despite being struck by her own lightning, that the Lewises must
have healed her again. She really must thank those women as soon as she had a
chance to do so. "Is it still here?" she asked quietly, referring to the Demon
within the blizzard.

"Unfortunately so, love, but it's not safe fer ya to go back out there.
We've caught a good wind, an' we're makin' good time. Rest a little while so
that if you're needed again, yer'll be able to take on the world," he said with
a grin. "Only you, 'Ro, would attack the worst bleeding fairy I've ever seen!"

Crys opened her mouth to correct the man called Wolverine but thought
better of interrupting the two and hushed herself. Ororo, however, nearly spoke
Crys' very thought. "Whatever that creature is," she gently informed Logan, "he
is no fairy. However, if he's still up there, are you sure that the normal wind
will be enough?"

"It should be, darlin'. Rest until you feel a little stronger, an' if we
haven't gotten away, you can conjure those winds again."

"I feel fine actually, Wolverine," she told him, getting to her feet
with no problem. "I really must thank the Lewises. Where are they?"

"It wasn't the Lewises this time, darlin'. It was this nice woman. I
still don't know her name." He looked inquiringly at Crys.

"You may call me Crys," she told them, "but please do not thank me. I am
only sorry that he hit you."

Ororo's blue eyes widened at that. "Why, child, you had nothing -- !"

Crys cut her off with a shake of her head. "As I have told the gentlemen
here, I have everything to do with it. He is after me."

"My name's Wolverine," he stated, "an' he won't have ya, at least not
while I'm alive an' then if he does me in, there'll be others to step in. We'll
overcome him. Just gotta get the Witches on it or maybe Doctor Doom might come
in handy. He's always spoutin' off about one thing or another; maybe he's got
the answer. This beautiful lady," he said, turning to look at 'Ro, "is Ororo. I
call her 'Ro."

Crys nodded, taking in all that he said. The moment he stopped speaking
and gave her a chance to say something again, however, she quickly told him, "I
appreciate your offer, Wolverine, and know you have the best of intentions.
However, please do not make such calls until you know exactly what it is you so
freely and kindly offer to involve yourself in."

"You healed 'Ro, an' that's all I need to know. I'm in yer debt, an'
Wolverine pays his debts."

Crys glanced at Jack as Wolverine spoke those words. What was it with
these men? Why couldn't they just take a healing and be happy for it? Looking
back to Wolverine, she told him, "Had I intended to place you in debt to me, I
would not have healed her. I do not do such."

"I didn't say ya asked fer anythin'; I'm givin' it freely," Wolverine
said. "We take care o' our own here. 'Ro's mine." He smiled at her, hoping she
wasn't going to throw a lightning bolt at him for making such a claim.

Crys bit back a sigh of frustrated aggravation. "Like I said, I
appreciate the offer. I do, but please do not make such when you do not truly
know what it is that you are offering."

"I know this much. I like ya, an' I don't like him. That's all I need to
know fer him to be my enemy."

Crys took a step closer to the considerably shorter man, her ice blue
eyes glaring with frustration. Why was it so hard to make these people
understand that they did not have the first real clue as to what they were
trying to take on?! "That is not all you need to know! You know nothing of him!
You think that you have an ideal of what he can do! You might even believe that
you've seen the worst that he is capable of, but you have not even seen an
inkling of what he can do!"

"An' he ain't seen an inkling o' what I can do either, darlin'."
Wolverine was never one to blow his own horn, but he was proud of his abilities.
He felt capable of taking on anything and coming out a winner.

"It doesn't matter what you can do," she told him. "All he has to do is
take one look at you, and you can be ice instantly!"

"Better get me some protection shields," Wolverine said, "soon as the
Lewises're recovered."

Crys stepped closer still, her second stride placing her directly in
front of him. "You are not taking him on!"

"Not right now. I haven't had my lunch yet, but if he messes with 'Ro
again, he's messin' with me, an' ya don't mess with me an' live ta tell about
it."

Jack, overhearing the conversation, nodded glumly, remembering all the
battles that he had been in with Wolverine and how many buttholes had bit it,
many of them taken care of personally by the little man he thought of as a
giant. He didn't want anything to happen to him and hoped that they could soon
come up with something that they could fight with against the Demon.

"You wouldn't even have the chance to lay one hand on him! One of his
thoughts would turn you to ice, and the second would shatter you!"

He looked at her, knowing that this conversation was not going anywhere
and knowing that there was no way that he could walk away from the battle that
was coming. If there was any way possible, he would find a way to destroy that
Ice Demon. He had family and friends aboard both ships, and he'd never stand
idly by, waiting for something to happen to them. He looked at 'Ro and kissed
her. "Guess ya better be about yer job, baby?" he asked.

She could tell that she would get nowhere with Wolverine and turned her
attention to Ororo before she could answer him. "You're not going back up there
. . . " she started but the woman was already shaking her head.

"We appreciate your concern," Ororo told her with the gentle voice of a
mother, "but we must do what must be done. You need not fear, though, for he can
not see me." She gave Logan's hand a gentle squeeze even as Crys' eyes narrowed.
She didn't know what the blonde was thinking to do, but a gust of wind lifted
her from the ship and well out of Crys' reach before she could do anything.

Crys whirled around to face Angel, throwing her hands up in despair and
letting out an exclaiming shout of frustration. "I'm sorry, Angel, but if the
rest of them are as blindly stubborn as those two, this is never going to work!"
Shaking her head, she continued before he could say anything, "If I tell you
what happened, it will only increase the danger I've already placed you in! I'm
out of here as soon as we hit the next port!" She stalked off, ignoring Blue's
gentle coos from where he was still perched on her shoulder. Cindy followed
beside her mistress, but Elvira trailed behind considerably more reluctantly.

All three men watched as Crys and the animals walked away, each one of
them wondering what they could do to help her and vowing to find a way. It was
then that they felt huge gusts pushing the ship and were soon carried out far
past where the Demon still circled, howling like a mad banshee.


Chapter Twenty-four
Angel was concerned and followed Crys. He knew she was worked up again
and thinking about leaving. He should have warned her that he knew his crewmates
would stand by her, no matter what she thought she had done or caused to happen.
He had known that they would. Now he had to convince her that they knew what
they were doing. "Crys," he called, "wait up."

"For what, Angel?" she asked, glancing at him from an imploring face
with ice blue eyes where new tears shimmered. "For another talk? For another
request for me to allow your friends and family to be killed, to be
slaughtered?!"

"What did you expect them to do, Crys -- turn on you and tell you to get
lost? We don't do things like that. Each and every one of us, at one time or
another, has had to be rescued, whether it was from Demons or even from
ourselves. Maybe I should have warned you that they would all be supportive.
You'll be allowed to tell your story, but I can tell you already what their
reactions will be. They will all be willing to help you in any way that they
can. Do you not want them to help you? Do you not want to be free, once and for
all? Don't say a thing can not be done if everything has not been tried. Have
you ever once had help other than yourself and your babies? Give us a chance to
help you."

"Angel, how can I?" she questioned him. Reaching the railing, she draped
her arms over it with a sigh. "I thought for sure that there must be at least
one of you with a brain bigger than your or their hearts, but I think now --
after that, after Jack, after everything that's already happened -- that the
best thing I can do for every one involved is to just get out. I know you want
to help, and I appreciate that. I do," she insisted truthfully, "but how can I
let you or the others when it will only result in more death?" She shook her
head. "Call me selfish if you want to, but I can't stand the thought of having
any more on my conscious."

Blue looked at his mistress. He could see the memories flickering in her
eyes and knew all that she was remembering for he had been through almost
everything with her. He also knew that, if left to her own devices, Crys would
never give in. He lowered his head for a moment, sighing. He knew what he had to
do. He hated it but realized that he was the only one with the sense to make her
have to stay.

He glanced up at Angel with tears shimmering in his blue eyes. He knew
he was about to place his life in danger, but Angel was more than willing to put
himself in danger for them. Blue could already sense that, even if Crys left,
neither Angel nor those who had learned about Frostbite would stop trying to
find a way to defeat him. They'd go after him on their own with or without his
family.

Blue's wings unfolded. Lifting into the air, he flew to Angel's shoulder
and perched again on it. His scales gently brushed Angel's cheek as he leaned
closer in and cooed softly.

Angel was relieved. At last he had something to use on Crys to make her
stay! "Crys, I tell you now. If you leave, we still will fight against that evil
thing. It does not deserve to live and cause more heartaches. I now have what I
need to call him to me. If you leave, I'll call him." He looked at her,
wondering what she'd do now.

She turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Her tear-filled eyes
lifted to his solemn face, and she could not help seeing her dragon's face
poking out from behind Angel's head. Her own face paled, going ten times a
lighter shade than it normally was. Her eyes zeroed in on Blue. "You didn't --
!"

"Yes, he did," Angel said, reaching up and stroking the little dragon's
head, "but he did it out of love for you. He knows you don't need to be out
there on your own, not when you've got people who are willing to help you. Thank
you, Blue."

Although the dragon leaned his head into Angel's touch, he dared not
make a single sound. His heart broke at the fury and terror he saw in his
mistress' eyes. Had he just lost his best friend, the woman who'd been the only
mother he'd known since a baby?

"Don't blame Blue. If he had not helped me, you would have gone out and
gotten yourself killed. We don't want you dead, Crys. You're no good to any one
that way."

She was still standing as still as a statue, staring at them in horrid
disbelief. Her heart pounded so loudly that it thundered in his ears. "What . .
. " she managed to gasp out slowly. "What . . . exactly . . . did he . . . tell
you?"

"Only the name I need to call to bring your enemy to me. The name is
David, and he has the same last name as your Jack."

"Gods, Blue, you didn't!" she wailed, tears now streaming down her face.
Her knees gave way underneath her, but Cindy and Elvira caught her together. She
stared at the males in horror. "You just condemned him!"

Angel reached out and scooped Crys up into his arms. "You need to rest
and get some food. When's the last time you ate, Crys? When's the last time any
of you ate?"

She was quiet for a moment before answering in a meek voice, "We've been
living on snow."

"Good Gods, woman! These are meat eaters, and you've been feeding them
snow! Well, I'm going to take all of you to the galley, and we'll see if the new
cook has managed to get anything edible yet! After you've eaten, I want you to
rest for a while. We've got to get back to the Pearl after that. She's my home,"
he said by way of explanation, "and she would be yours if you would just let
her."

He walked, carrying her high on his chest, to the galley only to see
that all kinds of crap was going on in there. There were four women, brandishing
any kind of weapon imaginable from fingers to wooden spoons, and they had
cornered Autolycus up against a wall. He wondered just what Autolycus had done
this time. He sat Crys on a nearby chair and looked around at the bedlam.
"What's going on here?!" he demanded.

"Angel," Autolycus was the first one to cry out, "get me out of here!
They're trying to make me into an eunuch!"

"Actually," Phoebe snapped, "we were just thinking about killing you,
but that sounds even better!" She thrust the fork she wielded closer at him.
Autolycus recoiled in fear, pressing himself as tightly against the wall as he
could get.

Angel asked, "What caused this commotion? What did you do this time?"

"Nothing much," he mumbled out. "Just managed to see a little ankle."

"That's not what you told us!" Piper exclaimed hotly. "To think you
would stoop as low as to look under children's dresses!"

"WE'RE NOT CHILDREN!" Paige and Phoebe yelled in unison.

Angel looked at the women in their dresses before asking, "How is it
possible that he could see under your dresses? They're all long, even touching
the ground. Were any of you undressed at the time?"

"No," Piper was the first to answer hesitantly, "but he said he did."

"And he was cowering underneath the table!" Paige added.

Prue looked angrily at Autolycus. "He's a thief and good at getting in
and out of places, so yes, he probably did it with very little problem!"

"Autolycus, did you or did you not look under the dresses?"

"No, but I wanted to so I just imagined what they had."

"You've been told to stop bothering the ladies. You need to report to
Xena right away, and I'll be along shortly. If you haven't reported, I'm going
to tell her."

"But I'm innocent, I tell ya!" Autolycus protested, hoping the ladies
would let him through.

Prue moved back away from him. "You report yourself to the Captain right
away," she demanded, "or I'll tell the Captain what you were doing!" She
brandished a rolling pin she was holding in her hand. "I'll hit you with this
too! Now get out of here!"

As soon as he saw a clear path, Autolycus ran for the door. Just as he
ran out, he called back, "Paige has on flowery underwear!"

Paige's eyes almost popped out of her head at that comment. "He did!"

Piper heard her youngest sister's cry of dismay and reacted before she
could even think. She grabbed a knife from the nearby counter and threw it
straight for Autolycus' retreating form. The door swung shut just before it
could hit him, and the knife embedded in the wood instead. Piper's eyes widened
as she looked at the knife's quivering handle. "Did I do that?" she whispered
hoarsely in surprised shock.

"Yes, ma'am, you did," Angel affirmed quietly. Then speaking at a normal
tone again, he continued, "I think I'd better go after him and make sure he
reports to the Captain. Miss Piper, do you have any food ready yet? Miss Crys is
extremely hungry; in fact, the poor dear hasn't eaten in several days and
neither have her pets."

Piper shook her head, an apologetic expression covering her shock at her
own reaction to Autolycus. "I'm afraid not. I've been waiting for Lorne to get
back," she explained. "However, there are some apples, other fruits, and
vegetables."

"Crys, eat something please. I've got to go after him, but I will return
as quickly as I can." He looked at her, hoping that she would agree, but her
gaze only shifted away from him. He shook his head and looked at Piper again.
"Her pets eat meat. You won't have to cook it. Just give them some. I know we
have plenty of it in there. She won't eat until they eat something, and I'll
make sure that your kitchen help gets to you right away."

Piper nodded and started to answer him only to be cut off by a shriek
from Paige. "WHAT IS THAT?!" Piper's questioning eyes turned to look at her
sister only to find her standing in a chair and staring at something in absolute
horror. Slowly, her heart pounding in her chest, Piper's gaze followed her
sister's. Seeing the animals for the first time, she gasped and backed straight
up into Prue. Prue stood there, gazing intently at the animals, even as Phoebe
joined Paige in the chair.

"They won't hurt you," Angel said. "They're just hungry. Give them
something to eat, and they'll leave you alone. I'm not sure what Blue eats, but
try him on the fruit and then some meat. I won't be long. I promise," he said,
looking at Crys again, and then rushed out the door.

Angel was lucky in that he found Joxer within five minutes of leaving
the galley. His eyes were red, and he was wobbling around. "What's the matter
with you, Joxer?"

"I'm just waking up, and I feel like I've been kicked in the head by a
mule. In fact, I saw one not too long ago. He was walking around, looking into
the rooms, and I swear he was talking to himself!"

"Get yourself to the galley and help Miss Piper. She hasn't gotten
dinner going yet, and there are a lot of hungry mouths aboard."

"Yes, sir," Joxer said and gave him a half-hearted salute.

"I know you don't feel up to it, but you've still gotta help, Joxer.
There aren't enough people around."

"But, Angel," Joxer told him, "the woman escaped!"

"I know that, Joxer. I have her back now. She's in the kitchen. Be nice
to her."

"Why?" he demanded. "She wasn't nice to me, and I don't want to become
dragon food!"

"Just get in there and do what you can to help Miss Piper. I'll be back
soon." He continued to follow Autolycus, who was not going anywhere near Xena
but was making a steady beeline for the crow's nest. "AUTOLYCUS!" he yelled.

"Oh cripes!" Autolycus muttered under his breath. "He's going to get me
before I can get away!" Autolycus sped up and changed his destination. He kept
moving as fast as he could, and since he had already had a headstart on Angel,
managed to escape.

Angel decided he'd take care of Autolycus later as he had to find Lorne.
Angel figured Lorne was still on the Pearl. Grabbing one of the ropes that Jack
kept hanging all around the ships, he swung out toward the Pearl, let go when he
was close, and landed on the deck. "Lorne?" he called.



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

Jack had been alone on the deck of the Witch, staring skyward and
watching the Demon. He finally realized that the ships had outdistanced him, and
that since he knew not which direction they had gone, he was not following them.
After a while, Jack could not see him any more. He decided to head to the galley
and see what was cooking as his stomach had made a rumbling sound and he
realized that he had not eaten in a long time. He had to hold on to things to
keep from being blown off the deck. 'Ro sure had powerful lungs, he thought, if
she was doing all this blowing. He glanced upward but did not see her. He
wondered where she was.



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

Howling winds were whipping so viciously around Faith that she had to
fight her way to the railing at the back of the ship. She had nearly reached it
when a panicked voice screaming for help caught her ears. She stopped, her dark
eyes flitting around in search of any sign of the troubled being before finally
coming to rest on black paws frantically scrambling for the railing. She smiled
even as she folded her arms over her chest. "Well, well, Lewis, it seems your
conniving ways got you after all!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO," the voice thundered
back, "BUT I'M NOT LEWIS!"

Faith stilled. The voice was male, not feminine as its screeches for
help had originally sounded. She raced forward, the smile completely gone from
her face, and was just in time to grab the paws as they slipped completely from
the railing. The wind knocked her, tossing her hair in her face and almost
blowing her overboard, but she dug in the heels of her boots even as she pulled
the cat up. He pawed the air in his desperate attempt to grab hold to her, and
though his claws sank into her flesh when he finally reached her, she did not
say a word. Instead, she dipped with him, rolling to a sitting position on the
deck, the railing at their backs.

The black cat breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you . . . " he
started to say only to be interrupted.

She nodded in response to his gratitude but then asked, "Who are you?
Actually, screw that," she continued on second thought. "If you're not a Lewis,
what are you?"

"A man."

She scoffed, and her dark eyes slanted disbelievingly down at him.
"Yeah, right."

"No really," he insisted with a twitch of his tail. "My name is Salem
Saberhagan. I was trapped in this body."

She shook her head, looking at him, and for a moment, he thought she
might actually feel sorry for him. Then, with another shake of her head, she
told him, "Riiight. Look, Salem, if that is your name, you should be happy to be
what you are."

"A cat?!"

"Yeah," she retorted, "a cat. You've got more natural agility and grace
than most beings will ever have, and if you get the right person and not an
idiotic bitch, you can even be taken care of for the rest of your life."

He blew out a sigh as her words made him remember the women he had left
behind in Port Royal, the insane trio who he had run from at long last and
should have escaped many years ago. "Well, I didn't. I got stuck with three
bitches who tried to sell me."

"Sell ya?"

He nodded.

Her blood ran cold. "Don't tell me they tried to sell you for food. Who
are they? I'll cut their damn throats."

He cringed slightly at the ferocity in her tone and eyes. "That's okay.
They were taken care of with the rest of the city." He paused then hesitantly
added in a quiet voice, "Besides, that's not what they were going to sell me for
even if that is where I ended up."

"Then what . . . ?" Faith asked, her head shaking and her brow creasing
in confusion.

"Formyservices."

"What?" she asked. "I couldn't hear you for the wind." Even then, it was
whipping her hair every which way, and she pulled a thick strand of it out of
her face.

"For my services," Salem repeated, his voice rising. When she still
looked at him in confusion, he clarified though his eyes could not meet hers,
"For my stud services." He paused for a heartbeat of a second before concluding,
"To humans."

"TO HUMANS?!" Faith thundered. "I'LL KILL THEM!" Her angry eyes flashed
on black.

"They're already dead."

"Maybe," she admitted, remembering what had happened to the city as it
had been turned to ice and crashed down upon itself, "but evil has a way of
coming back. If they're not dead and you run into them, all ya have to do is let
me know. I'll be glad to rip their throats out." She growled the last between
clenched teeth.

He studied her in surprise. "Are you always that protective of
strangers?"

"Hell no!"

"Then what?" he asked. "Just cats?" She ignored him and glanced up at
the sky instead. "Come on," he purred to her. "I know you're a bitch, but you
like cats. We hit a chord with you. Why? I told you my story; you can tell me
yours."



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

Lorne had been watching Brendan and hoping that he would wake up soon as
he needed to get back to the galley and help with the cooking. He did not know
how hard Jack had hit him but figured it must have been a good hit as he was
still out. He got up to move over to check Brendan out and tried to shake him
awake when the winds hit him so hard that it blew him against the railing.
Fighting his way back to Brendan, he saw his friend rise from the floor, and he
panicked. The winds were going to snatch Brendan away if he didn't do something
quickly. He flung his body full-length on Brendan, trying to hold him down with
his own weight.

Brown eyes opened slowly only to meet with a red horn nearly sticking
him in the eye. "What the blazes?!" he demanded. It was only then that he
realized that Lorne's body was pressing down against his. "Well," he spoke
hesitantly, "this isn't exactly what I thought I'd be waking up to."

"Sorry," Lorne said. "I know it's kinda awkward, but we have hurricane
winds and they were about to blow you overboard! The only thing I could think of
was to lay on you and hope my weight would be enough to hold you down."

"Thanks, but you can get up now. What's going on?" Brendan then asked.
He could practically smell danger.

"We have been tracked by a Demon ever since leaving Port Royal. You do
know how you got here, right?"

Brendan sighed at the memory; the sound was one of lust and awe but also
of heavy disappointment. "No man could ever forget that."

"The woman's safe; Jack knocked you out. We left the harbor, and we're
out at sea. She's with her sister. I know the story, Brendan. It kind of
surprised me. Whatever did you do to make her want you so much? She's from a
really nice family, and that's probably the first time she's ever did anything
like that. She is head over heels for you!"

Brendan sighed. He could think of only one thing to tell his friend as
Lorne got off of him and looked down at him imploringly. He grinned up at him,
but his twinkling eyes remained darkened by the knowledge of what he could never
have. "Just lucky, I guess," he answered at first. He then sighed and shook his
head as he rolled to his feet. "I just don't know whether to call it good luck
or bad."

"Well, she thinks it's good luck, and if you could have seen her
reaction when she got to her sister . . . ! She's not scared of your wolf; she
still wants you! Are you sure you didn't do anything to get her excited?"

"Lorne, I hadn't even noticed her until she came up to me, and then all
I tried to do was ask her if I could help her! The next thing I knew, she was
kissing me!" He had been shaking his head at that, but as the memory replayed
itself and his lips again burned, he stopped shaking and only sighed in awe at
the remembered feelings.

He shook himself again, trying failingly to force the thoughts from his
mind. "I've got to talk to Jack about her. She can't do that again. She can't be
around me! I'd -- I'd -- " He looked at Lorne, unable to complete the sentence
but hoping he would understand what he meant.

"Jack knocked you out, and he'll stop you next time if things get out of
hand again. You know you can count on him. I don't think he knows quite what to
make of the Halliwells either, but you're not going to be able to get rid of her
easily."

Brendan raked a nervous hand through his thick, shaggy mane of brown
hair. "There has to be a way. I can not continue to endanger her!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way, but she is just as determined as
you are. She wants you, man!" he said with a wink of his eyes. "She wants ya
bad!"

Brendan shook his head in disbelief. "She's crazy!"

"Jack's on the Witch and hasn't returned yet. I've got to get back to
the galley. I'm supposed to be helping to cook dinner, but I'll get you some
clothes before I head back. Just stay here."



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

Faith continued to ignore Salem. When she finally spoke again, her
statement had nothing to do with cats. "Looks like the wind's dying down."
Releasing him, she rolled to her feet and turned back to the railing. She was
just in time to see the other vessels taking off. Almost every one headed in a
different direction.

Her sigh met Salem's ears as he leapt up onto the railing beside her. He
turned to look up into her eyes, and he jerked his head back slightly in
surprise at the sadness that shimmered therein. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Nothing."

He shook his head, then stood and began to rub against her arm, purring
deeply. "I wouldn't tell anybody." She didn't respond, and he tried again.
"Look. Something's bothering you. That's clear. You saved my life; I'd like to
be able to help you."

"I don't need anybody's help."

He nodded. "I usually don't, but I did today . . . " He placed a gentle
paw on her hand and was finally rewarded with her casting a glance at him; his
dark eyes caught and managed to keep her gaze. " . . . for the first time," he
lied smoothly.

She laughed, but the sound was dull as her heart was not in it. She
scratched his head even while telling him, "You're such a liar!"

"Maybe I am," he said, enjoying her gentle scratch and rubbing his head
into her hand, "but so are you. Something's bothering you. Why can't you tell
me? I'm a cat, and I know you like cats. Don't you trust us?"

She continued to gaze down at him for a moment but then forced herself
to tear her gaze away. "I don't trust anybody."

"Best way to be," he agreed, "but I'm not asking you to trust me
completely, just to trust me with this."

She sighed. "There's nothing that can be done about it any way. It's
done, and it was for the best."

Salem's intent gaze followed hers back to the departing vessels. "You
sent somebody away, didn't you?" She didn't answer, and he knew he was right.
"Somebody started getting under your skin, so you sent them off before they
could make you realize that you do have a heart. Nasty things, those are," he
added with a grimace and a shake of his head. "It doesn't matter if you're cat
or human. If you let yourself have a heart, it'll get you into trouble every
time."

She snorted. "Got that right."

"And I've got the other right too, don't I?"

She sighed but slowly looked back down at him. "If you tell anybody,
I'll cut your throat."

He smiled up at her, and the look almost brought a laugh from her. "I
bet you say that to all the guys."

"Nope," she said with a shake of her head. "Just the annoying ones." She
couldn't resist scratching his head again, however.

"So there was somebody?" he asked.

"Maybe," she relented slightly.

"And you're scared?" he added, his eyes searching hers for the truth.

She could feel him reading her and snapped her head away. "I'm not
scared of anything."

"But you are," he insisted gently. "You're scared he didn't get on one
of those ships."

"He was just a fuck who got in over his head and I had to bail him out!
Why the Hell should I care whether he's living or not?"

Salem's head cocked to one side as he looked thoughtfully up at her. His
tail swished silently from side to side. "Because you have a conscience?"

"Hell no!"

"A heart?"

"No more than the conscience."

"But he got under your skin."

"Cat," she ground out, one hand now gripping the railing so hard that
her knuckles had turned white, "I think you'd better get the Hell out of here."



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

Dawson had been listening the entire time. He was close enough that he
could almost reach out and touch Faith, but he did not make his presence known.
He was not surprised at the talking cat although he had, at first, thought it to
be one of the Lewises in trouble. He had recognized Salem as soon as Faith had
rescued him, however, for he'd met him earlier at the auction. He was surprised
at the truths that he was hearing coming out of both of them, and for the fact
that he heard Faith actually admit that he had had an effect upon her. He
continued to listen quietly.



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

Salem started to speak again but changed his mind upon seeing the
darkness that had fallen over Faith's face. He had long ago learned how to tell
when he pushed some one, especially a woman, too far. "All right," he told her,
"but I'll be around if you want to change your mind." A growl was his response,
and Salem bolted, leaping from the railing. Her teary eyes cut back after him,
and she watched as he scampered out of her sight.

"Fuck it," she muttered, turning back around. She continued to talk to
herself as she stepped away from the railing, took off her scabbard and boots,
and dropped them to the deck. "If the kid's dead, he's dead. If he's not," she
shrugged even as she pulled her shirt off, "good as long as he never shows up
again." She dropped her shirt to the deck, shimmied out of her pants, and added
them to the pile of her clothes.

Faith turned, bent, and picked up her scabbard. She withdrew her sword
from it and glanced at the blood that covered its blade. The scabbard made a
clanging sound as it hit the deck again. She turned back around, grabbed one of
the ropes that was hanging down nearby, and hung it over the railing where she
could reach it later. She then dived into the water, still holding the sword.

Faith quickly washed the sword clean of the blood that covered it. Had
it been merely her regular sword, she would not have bothered, but she scrubbed
every spot of blood off of it before tossing it back upwards. She listened, her
head cocked to one side, until she heard it embed perfectly into the deck beside
her scabbard, then set to washing herself.

She had to fight the entire time, however, to keep from thinking of
Dawson. What had happened to him? Had he escaped alive, or had she condemned him
to death? She told herself she shouldn't care and cussed herself aloud
underneath her breath for doing just that.



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

Lorne was headed for the sleeping quarters when he heard his name called
by Angel. "Yes, Angel, I'm coming," he answered. As soon as he reached Angel, he
told him that Brendan had to have some clothes.

"I'll take care of that," Angel said. "You need to get over there and
assist Miss Piper or we're not going to eat today!"

"Sure thing," Lorne replied, "but you take care of Brendan." He left for
the Witch even as Angel went into the sleeping quarters and got some clothes for
Brendan.

Lorne continued to rush on his way to the galley. He knew he was late,
but he would never have left Brendan. He increased his footsteps, hoping Miss
Piper would not think he didn't want to learn because he really did want to.



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

Angel returned to where he had last smelled Brendan, but when he got
there, he did not see him anywhere. Just as he was about to call out, he saw a
hand stick out of a barrel and heard Brendan said, "Over here!"

As he held the clothes out to Brendan, Angel couldn't help teasing him.
"I don't know what was going on over here, but you were into more action than we
were over there, and believe me, there's been plenty going on today!"

"She kissed me!" Brendan exclaimed in shocked disbelief even as his hand
reached out, grabbed the clothes, and snaked them back into the barrel. "I never
did anything to her, Angel, I swear! She kissed me!"

"Did you like it?" Angel asked, remembering how much he had enjoyed when
he had kissed Cordelia earlier.

Brendan sighed even as he shrugged into his shirt, only his arms
sticking out of the barrel as he did so. "Too much."

Angel shrugged. "Then don't fight it, man; work with it. Wolf controls
his. You should be able to. Get with Wolf and find out what he does. Then go
court your woman."

Though Angel could not see him, Brendan still shook his head. "Courting
is not open to me, Angel." He paused in speaking as he flipped upwards. He
exited the barrel for just a brief second, then fell back in, his legs sticking
out this time as he struggled to pull on his pants. "Even if I could control it,
which I can not, have never been able to, and will never be able to, I do not
deserve such."

Angel was having a hard time not laughing out loud. Brendan was too
serious, and yet his actions were funny at the same time! "You have to work it
out, Brendan, or just let the woman go. Do you really want to do that?"

"What I might want doesn't really matter, Angel; I don't deserve it.
What does matter is her safety, and that can not be accomplished if she is
anywhere near me." He flipped out of the barrel again, but this time, he landed
on bare feet on the dock.

Angel shook his head in disbelief. Only Brendan could get dressed in a
barrel with barely enough room to turn around, have every button buttoned in the
right place, and look as though nothing had occurred. "Your past is not your
present, Brendan. With the right woman, you could work things out, but you, my
friend, have got to be willing to try."

"Trying would mean endangering her in order to do so, Angel," Brendan
answered, looking his friend directly in the eyes, "and that is something that I
will never willingly do."

"Well, she's not going to give you up. You have excited her, and she
wants you bad. I heard her say that."

"So Lorne has also told me," Brendan admitted, "but it makes no
difference. It can not."

"So the woman doesn't excite you?" Angel asked. "You don't mind if
another guy gets her? You don't want her? Hmm . . . " His voice trailed off.
"There's a lot of guys on this ship -- lonely guys."

Brendan reacted before his human mind could make one thought. Before
Angel even knew what was happening, he had picked him up by his collar and
slammed him into the railing. "If you touch her . . . " he growled out, but the
threat and angry face were suddenly replaced by a look of confusion and sorrow.
Brendan dropped Angel instantly. Backing up and muttering an apology, he turned
and fled.



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

Dawson heard splashing as Faith bathed and watched as her sword flew
back up onto the deck to land by the scabbard. She really didn't want him in her
life, or at least, she thought she didn't. He knew that, but he also knew he
would never leave, not willingly. He stood up and was about to leave his hiding
place when he came face to face with Salem.

Salem peered up at him through knowing green eyes. "You're him, aren't
you?" he asked. "You're the kid she's got it so bad for?" He kept his voice to a
low whisper so that Faith would not overhear him.

"I'm the one she's wondering about, but she hasn't got it bad for me,"
Dawson said. "I've got it bad for her. She doesn't want me. I can't blame her,
not when she has all these others to choose from. They've done so much, and I've
done nothing. She's not getting rid of me, though, and don't you dare go telling
her I'm here!"

"As long as you keep my secret, I'll keep yours. She actually thinks I'm
just a normal cat!" he said, shaking his head. "Otherwise I never would have
been able to get anything out of her. I know her kind, kid, and I have to tell
you -- You're both wrong."

"Why do you think we're both wrong?" he asked.

"Simple," Salem answered knowingly. "You think she doesn't have it bad
for you, that she really doesn't want you. She thinks she shouldn't want you,
that she's better off alone. That's why she tried to send you away. She wants
you gone so that you can't continue getting under her skin."

"I'm not going anywhere," Dawson said with a shake of his head, "but I
don't want her to ever find out I'm here. Why, she'd probably kill Captain Jack
and me both in our sleep!"

He shook his head. "She'd threaten you. She might even physically attack
you both. But she wouldn't kill you. I've met her kind before," Salem reminded
him. {Hell,} he added silently to himself, {I've been her kind before.} "She
tries to make her own survival, wants, and needs her topmost and only priority,
but there are a few who give her trouble. You're number one on that list. She
doesn't know why, but she's got it bad for you."

"So you keep saying, Salem, but I don't see that. I wish she did. Well,
I'd better go before she gets out of that water, but I'll be around so I can
keep an eye on her just in case she needs me."

Salem shook his head. "I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't know
it." He paused. Faith would kill him if she ever found out he admitted this. "I
saw the tears in her eyes when she was thinking about you."

"Probably just gas," Dawson dismissed it immediately. "She really has
very little use for me, but I'll love her till I die," he said with a sigh.
"Help me keep an eye on her, Salem. If she needs me, you can find me. I'd
appreciate it."

Salem stifled a sigh even as he nodded. He knew he was not going to get
any further with either of them at the moment, but they would see with time. He
wondered if he had ever been that young, in love, and foolishly blind.

Dawson took off to find another hiding place before Faith got back on,
remembering for one brief second how beautiful she was naked. As soon as he
found another hiding place, he laid down and waited.



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

Angel rubbed his throat gingerly and shrugged his shoulders to
straighten his shirt. He called after him. "WAIT UP, BRENDAN! I WASN'T TALKING
ABOUT ME! I'VE GOT OTHER PROBLEMS! COME BACK HERE! I'M NOT THROUGH TALKING TO
YOU," he knew that Brendan could hear him, "AND I'M NOT MAD AT YOU FOR ATTACKING
ME!"

Brendan paused. "Angel," he said, not bothering to yell for he knew the
Vampire would hear him, "I can't stand around. I need to get below deck before
something else happens." He shook his head, sorrow clouding his brown eyes.
"Gods, I don't know what's wrong with me today!"

Angel finally caught up to him. "Hormones, my friend. Her hormones
triggered your hormones, and low and behold, the wolf came out! I wish mine was
that simple, and you can't get in the cage. It's broken."

"What?!" Brendan almost screeched, whirling around to face Angel with a
shocked expression and wild eyes.

"Yeah. It wasn't me. A woman did it."

Brendan's mouth fell open and hung there for a brief moment before he
managed to close it and ask, "What woman?"

"The one whose wolf bit Lorne in the butt. Her name is Crys. Jack locked
her in there, so she wouldn't run off for her own safety. Things got out of
hand. I sent Joxer and Carl down to watch her -- "

"You didn't!" Brendan exclaimed, cutting him off. "Angel, you should
have known better than to send those two! I don't know what that woman is, but
she's definitely something!"

"I figured it was a job that even they couldn't mess up and they were
the only ones available. Lo and behold, she knocked them both out, and then she
broke the cage by freezing it!"

"Well, at least that explains one thing. I smelled the cold on her
earlier but didn't know what to make of it. She must be an Elemental."

"An Ice Elemental, to be exact, but since none of us have ever dealt
with one before, we didn't have a clue what she was capable of. She's at the
galley too. Well, what do you want to do, Brendan? Do you want to come with me
to the galley or find Doctor Doom so that he can work on the cage?" Angel asked.

"I'll find Wesley and get him to work. That cage has got to get fixed,
so that I can get in it!"

"If you say so, but wouldn't you rather go to the galley?"

"NO!"

"Prue's there!"

"I know Prue's there! Why do you think I'm not about to go anywhere near
it?!"

"Okay. Then we'll find Doctor Doom and get him on the cage, although if
we can get him to work on an empty stomach, we'll be doing something. That man
loves his food!"

"We all do," Brendan replied, both he and Angel hearing the rumbling of
his gut, "but I'm not going anywhere near that galley. You couldn't even drag my
coat to it if you killed me."

"Brendan, I can't believe you're scared of a woman," Angel stressed.
"You're going to have to face her sooner or later. Why not do it now when you're
with me?"

Brendan shook his head. "Angel, you're not getting me anywhere near her.
I refuse to endanger her any further! I'm going with you to Wesley only to make
sure he fixes that cage so that I can get in it before I go crazy again!"

"Okay, my friend; let's go find Wesley." The two headed off together.
Brendan was relieved that Angel appeared to have given up the argument, but
Angel knew that he was only letting it rest momentarily.


Chapter Twenty-five
"Phoebe," Piper called, "could you go see if you can find Lorne? We
really need to get started, but we should wait for him." He had been so eager to
begin his learning, and she would hate to have to start without him.

"Sure," Phoebe answered. She wondered why Piper had not assigned the
duty to Prue but was not surprised that she had chosen her over her younger
sister. Just what was with Prue any way? She seemed especially distracted, and
Phoebe knew it wasn't entirely because of what had happened to their family
earlier that day.

Piper watched Phoebe go before turning back to the blonde with the
strange animals. "What kind of fruits would you like, ma'am?" she queried, but
the woman did not even look at her. She glanced at Prue with a shrug, then set
about fetching some raw meat for the wolf and lioness.

Prue wondered over to where the fruit rested in the bag. She looked
inside and selected an apple, a pear, an orange, and a peach. She carried all of
them over to the table and set them out in front of Crys. "Piper's an excellent
cook. It won't take long for her to get some real food, but maybe these will
tide you over?" she asked hopefully. She smiled at her. "What will the dragon
eat?"

Crys only sat there. Fury and horror were still etched over her face.
She stared ahead, unseeing, her mind caught in the never-ending circle of what
would happen to Angel now that Blue had so ignorantly told him her uncle's real
name. There was no way he would ever be safe from Frostbite now. She did not
even blink as Prue moved in front of her, setting the fruits down on the table
and talking to her.

Blue, who had been trying with no success to get Crys to allow him to
sit on her shoulder again -- in fact, the one movement she had been making from
time to time was shooing him away --, sighed and shook his head. He then hopped
down from the back of the chair to the table. He looked up at the lady called
Prue and cooed softly to her before taking a bite out of the apple.

Prue reached out and gently touched Crys. She didn't know what was wrong
with her, but she appeared to be in shock of some kind. "Angel said your name
was Crys. Is that right?" she questioned as she sat down across from her. She
reached out and took the apple from Blue. Slipping a knife out of her skirt
pocket, she began to carve pieces off and feed it to him.

"You have some very interesting friends," she said, indicating each of
the animals. "I have a cat; her name's Kit." She talked on to the pretty lady,
hoping that something she said would penetrate her consciousness. She had
finished slicing up an apple, got up, retrieved another one, and returned. She
was sitting down when she came up with an ideal. Slicing a slightly larger piece
of the apple, she offered it to Crys.

Realizing that the woman was not going to leave her to herself, Crys
shook her head. "No thank you. I'm not hungry," she told her, her appetite
having been destroyed by the grief in her heart, "but I . . . I do appreciate
your giving them food." She gestured with her head to Cindy and Elvira who were
busily munching on the meat that Piper's booted foot had cautiously slid over to
them and then to Blue.

Blue looked up at his mistress as she nodded to him and cooed softly,
but Crys quickly looked away. He sighed and waved the piece of apple he held at
her. He considered hitting her with it for a moment but then swallowed it
instead with another frustrated sigh. His tail whacked the table gently, causing
Paige, who Piper was beginning to work around as she was still standing in the
chair, to jump.

Prue looked at Paige. "Paige, get out of that chair and help Piper!
We've got a lot of hungry people, and we've really got to get busy and cook some
food!" Then she turned her attention back to Crys. "I don't know why you're
angry at your little friend, but whatever he did, I'm sure it was to help you."

"Please try to eat a little bit. Angel says you haven't eaten in days.
After all that time, you probably don't have an appetite, but one bite might
help you to regain it." She reached out, took one of Crys' hands, and laid the
piece of apple in it.

Prue had soon finished cutting the rest of the apple up and dividing it
in between Crys and Blue. "Humph," she sighed. "I've really got to get up and
get on the cornbread. Piper has a lot of trouble with cornbread, but it's about
the only thing that I can cook and get right. She's tried to teach me other
things, but it just doesn't sink in. If you need anything, Crys, I'll be close."
She hesitated a moment, hoping that Crys would say something.

Knowing that Prue was waiting for some kind of word from her before she
would get about her business and leave her to her own miserable thoughts and
memories, Crys finally spoke again. "I appreciate it." Prue smiled before
standing and running to get a bowl. She began fixing the cornbread.

As soon as Prue had turned her back, however, Crys had slid the
fragments of apple over to Blue. The dragon looked at her. He wanted her to eat
but knew that he could not force her. He started to turn back to the apple when
he noticed that the redhead was still standing in the same chair, continuing to
stare at them. With a soft growl of frustration, he flexed his wings before
taking to the air. Maybe he couldn't do anything about his mistress, but surely
he could do something about the redhead?

The dragon flew to her, and Paige tried to back away but found her back
pressed against the wall. Her face was pale as Blue came closer. Her mouth
opened to scream for her sisters, but her voice fell silent in her throat as she
felt the beast's breath brush over her face. She started to stumble, one foot
beginning to slip from the chair, but then froze as the dragon placed his face
against her cheek.

Blue rubbed her gently, cooing softly, and a slow smile spread over
Paige's face. Just as slowly, unable to believe what she was doing, she raised a
hand and stroked Blue's forehead. The dragon cooed even louder, and her smile
grew as his cooing reminded her of Kit's purring. "Guess you're not going to eat
me after all, little guy?" she asked him, and the sound he made in response told
her that he wouldn't even consider eating a human. She giggled. "I would be
pretty much bones. Not a lot of fun, eh?"

Prue continued stirring the cornbread, watching the scene. She had never
stopped to think of why she wasn't afraid of the animals, but a stray thought
crossed her mind. The man she was in love with was also part animal. She had
always had a way with them. Could she tame him? How she wished that she could!

Even now, stirring the cornbread, her thoughts were filled with him and
the one brief second she had had with him when their heated lips had met and
burned her to her very soul. She had to do something, but what? She prayed the
Goddess would guide her footsteps. She just had to have him or she knew she'd
simply die because there would never be another man to fit her better!

Piper had to laugh as she looked up at her youngest sister and the
dragon. "Looks like you've made a new friend."

Paige nodded, still grinning. "Yes, I have."

"That's great, but now you can get down from there and help me with the
biscuits."

Paige groaned, her eyes rolling toward the ceiling. "That's all you ever
study."

"Maybe so, but we need to get to work."

"Like I said . . . " Paige started.

"Just get down and come over here," Piper told her. She'd let her think
what she would. It didn't bother Piper that Paige thought that cooking and
working were the only things she ever paid any attention to. Actually, it was
probably better that Paige didn't have even the faintest clue that her mind kept
turning back to a tall, handsome man. Piper sighed in the back of her throat as
she wondered where Cole had gotten to.



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

Angel was lost deep in thought as he walked beside Brendan. His mind
refused to stop thinking about Cordelia. He wondered where she was at and if she
was angry at him for having ran off after kissing her. He really had not had a
chance to get back to her. Too much had been happening. He hoped she would allow
him to explain as best he could, any way; even he did not have explanation for
everything that had happened.

Brendan walked slowly along the pathway to Doctor Doom's lab, his every
sense at full alert for any sign of Prue. Although his lips still burned and his
betraying mind refused to cease playing over the memory of their kiss, he had to
stay as far away from her as possible. He shoved his trembling hands deeper into
his pockets. Just how was he going to get away from her? He knew he had to, but
he also realized that they could not abandon her or her sisters and did not want
to have to leave the Pearl. After all, his crewmates and their few allies in
Tortuga were the only good people he'd ever known.

They arrived only to hear Wesley murmuring something that they could not
make out. Angel reached out and tapped lightly on the door. "Wes, we've got
problems."

Wesley snatched the door open. "Don't we always? What is it this time?"
He glanced at Brendan, hoping that it was not something to do with the Werewolf
but realizing that it was as soon as Brendan's gaze dropped from his. It
couldn't be time for the full moon already, Wes thought even as he gazed
skyward, searching for a sign of the moon.

Brendan shook his head. "It's not that." He sighed deeply. "I wish it
were that simple."

"Then what is it?" Wesley asked with worry in his voice. "What has
happened now?"

"The cage has been broken," Angel informed him, watching intently to see
Wes' reaction. The cage was Wesley's creation. It was catproof, Vampireproof,
and Werewolfproof. Nothing was supposed to be able to get out of the cage, and
yet it was still broken!

"HOW IN THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?!" Wesley screeched. Who or, more
accurately, what could have hurt his baby?!

"A newcomer to the ship," Angel replied. "An Ice Elemental."

"What? Down here?"

"Yes," Angel affirmed. "She's a beautiful woman and just appeared today
on the ship. There's been a great fuss about that. How did you manage to miss
all of it?"

Wesley glanced away even as he murmured, "I've sort of been busy with my
own problems."

It was at that time that a voice chimed into the conversation from
somewhere behind Wesley. "Wes?" Fred asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Angel glanced at Brendan and then back at Wes. Was the doctor holding
out on them? He could not remember a time of ever seeing Wesley with a woman,
and in fact, they had been beginning to think that Doctor Doom had no sex drive
whatsoever. Yet he had a woman in his lab?! "You aren't . . . conducting
experiments on her?" Angel asked. Was this some kind of new creature Doctor Doom
had discovered?

"Well, we have kind of been experimenting a little on each other," Wes
sheepishly admitted, keeping his voice low enough so that only Angel's and
Brendan's superior hearing could hear him, "but mostly we've been unpacking and
putting away her things."

"Oh." Angel looked at Brendan with a twinkle in his eye.

"Don't," Brendan started sheepishly, fearing that Angel was about to
spill the beans on his own problem. He then shook his head with a sigh.
"Actually, we'd might as well." Looking at Wesley, he told him, "You have to get
the cage back up -- immediately."

"Why? It's not a full moon tonight." Wes turned his full gaze upon
Brendan, realizing how distraught the Werewolf was. "Do you feel an attack
coming on?"

Brendan's gaze shifted away from Wesley's again. "I already changed
once," he whispered.

"What happened?" Wes questioned with deep concern in his voice. He had
been studying Brendan and his different reactions to things for a while in an
effort to help him overcome his problems. What could possibly have triggered a
Werewolf reaction without a full moon?

Hearing Fred approach, Wesley glanced back into the lab and straight at
her. "I'll be back shortly," he assured her. "I need to talk to the men." He
stepped out, closing the door softly behind him. Looking back at Brendan, he
repeated, "What happened?"

Brendan sighed, his lips twitching even as he tried to come up with the
right words. Finally, he admitted with a lustful sigh, "The most wonderful thing
I've ever felt."

Wes reached out and touched Brendan's forehead to check for a fever,
then automatically checked his pulse. He did not have a fever, but his heart was
racing. "You aren't going to wolf right now, are you?" Wesley asked, his concern
clear in his voice. "Have you been feeling sick, unable to sleep? Hormone
problem?" He kept shooting questions at Brendan while he continued to check his
vital signs.

"Wesley, you're not going to find anything that way," Brendan finally
told him with yet another sigh. "It's . . . " he paused for a moment before
finally admitting, " . . . a woman."

"DAMN!" Wesley's mouth flew open. "YOU'RE IN HEAT?!" This was a whole
new game -- Werewolf in heat --, and he had nothing at all to compare it
against. He couldn't compare Brendan to Wolf, the only other Werewolf that he
knew, because Wolf stayed in heat all the time and did not have a problem with
his wolf. "Which lucky woman is it?" Wesley managed to choke out.

"She's not lucky," Brendan corrected him instantly. "At least, not in a
good way." He shook his head sadly. "She has no idea what she's doing, and I've
got to stay away from her." He paused again before forcing himself to admit, "I
came very close to attacking over her already, as well. You have to get that
cage up, Wes. Yesterday."

"Yesterday you what, Brendan?" Wes felt as though he was pulling teeth
out of a hen.

Brendan shook his head. "I mean, that if you had gotten it back up
yesterday, it still wouldn't be soon enough."

"Who's the woman, Brendan?" he asked him a second time even as he
glanced imploringly at Angel.

Angel shook his head. He would not reveal the woman's identity unless
Brendan did.

Brendan, too, shook his head. "Her name is not important, Wesley. What
is important is that she is a beautiful, innocent lady whose very life is put
into danger by my lowly hide being anywhere near her."

"Give me a minute, and I'll get my tools," Wes said. He stepped back
inside and came face to face with Fred. "I've got to leave you for a little
while. I have to work on a cage and get it back up and working."

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. "A cage?"

"Yes. We have some Pirates that have to be locked away sometimes for
their own protection and the good of others, and some one broke the cage. I hope
it only takes a little while as one of the men is badly in need of its
services." He lifted her hand to his lips even as he kissed the back of it.
"Until we meet again, Fred. Stay safe." He backed out the door and almost bumped
into Angel, who was standing, staring at Brendan, and fussing.

"Tell him the whole thing, Brendan! He is your doctor."

"Angel," Brendan retorted, "he knows what he needs to know and that is
all! Neither her identity nor any of the other has anything to do with it!"

"As your doctor, Brendan, I must protest. I do need to know your
reaction -- how and why your attention was drawn to her and any other pertinent
things that you can think of. You're a doctor; you know I need to know these
things."

"This is entirely different!"

"Brendan . . . " Angel and Wesley started at the same time.

Yellow eyes flashed, a predatorial glare cutting through both even as he
finally roared out, his angry voice carrying over most of the ship. "SHE KISSED
ME, ALL RIGHT?!"

"Oh. Is that all?" Wes said. "I thought maybe she had . . . physically
attacked you with her luscious body or something?"

Brendan growled in response, and Wesley decided it would be best not to
push him any further at the moment. Falling silent, the three men turned and
headed together in the cell's direction.



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

Brendan's angry roar reached Jack's ears, and he grasped his silver cane
tightly in his right hand. {Not again!} he despaired silently. He looked quickly
inside the galley, making sure that the woman was still in there. What could
possibly be aggravating his friend again? Shaking his head in disbelief, he
rushed off in the direction the roar had come from, but upon seeing that Brendan
had not wolfed out, he did not go any closer to them.

He felt filthy and had been thinking about going for a swim before he
had heard Brendan but now realized he'd better hang around, unseen but watching,
in case his cane was needed. He was standing directly under the crow's nest when
some feathers fell down and landed in front of him. He picked up one of them and
looked towards the crow's nest. "Who's up there?" he called. He heard bird
sounds and knew that they were coming from Gnome lips. "Carl, what are you doing
hiding up there?"

A little head and two eyes poked over the top and gazed down at him. "Is
Angel around?"

"Nearby," Jack called back up, "but he's not interested in you right
now."

"Oh, yes he is!" Carl whispered down. "He put Joxer and me on guard, and
the woman got away! I don't know how she did it, but she knocked us both out
without ever touching us and she broke the cage!"

"Oh, I see," Jack said even though he clearly did not. "You think Angel
wants to eat you because you allowed the cage to get broke? He probably doesn't
blame you, so why don't you come down and we'll go watch Wes fix it? If Angel
tries to eat you, I'll stop him."

Carl shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere near that Vampire until
he's cooled down and had some blood! He may not blame me for the cage, but he
will for the woman!"

"Why will he blame you for the woman? Were you not unconscious? Angel is
a reasonable man. He won't hold you to blame for that."

"He may be reasonable, but he'll expect an explanation! What am I
supposed to say -- that she knocked me out without ever laying a finger on me?!"

"Yes, if that's what happened," Jack returned. "That would be a neat
trick to use against our enemies in a fight. Maybe you can find out what she
does?"

"How? She's long gone!"

"No, she's not. She's somewhere aboard the ship. It hasn't been too long
since I saw her."

Carl looked down at him disbelievingly. "She knocked us out and broke
the cage but stayed on board? That doesn't make any sense!"

"She didn't want to be in the cage. I shouldn't have put her in there,
but I was thinking about her safety and had too much other stuff on my mind.
Things are beginning to settle down now. I've got to try to have another talk
with her, so when you find her, let her know I'd like to speak with her again."

Carl shook his head. "No way! I'm not going anywhere near that woman as
long as she's got her dragon! I am not getting ate, Captain, not for you or
anybody else!"

"That dragon's not going to eat you, Carl! First of all, even if he did
like to eat Gnome, you're bigger than he is, and second, he's not violent. He
might not even eat meat."

"But -- But she told us he would!"

"Think about it, Carl. She was trying to scare you to death and get your
mind off of the job at hand so that she could work her magic on you, and she did
just that. You were so scared of the dragon that you never noticed when she
worked her spell on you."

Carl paused, thinking over the Captain's words. Finally, a light dawned
over his face. "You know what, Cap? I bet you're right! If that dragon wanted to
be eating us, you never would've gotten her in the cage!"

"Let me know where she's at when you see her, Carl." Jack knew Carl's
curiosity would not keep him away from her very long.

Carl was still muttering oaths under his breath as he began to make his
way down. His eyes blazed, and his tiny fists shook. How dare she! How dare she
make them think that that silly dragon would eat them! Why, he'd give them both
a piece of his mind!

Jack walked calmly off to place himself within hearing distance in case
a speeded rescue from Brendan was needed.



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

Phoebe rushed out of the galley, not paying attention to where she was
running while trying desperately to spot anything green. Mister Green had to be
around there somewhere! He must have just forgotten that he was supposed to be
cooking in the galley. She knew that if it was possible, she'd like to forget it
as well.

From another direction of the ship, Joxer was running full steam ahead,
one thought on his mind -- get to the galley before Angel got to him! Angel was
already mad at him. He didn't know why Angel blamed him for letting the woman
out. It wasn't as though he could do anything about it. He still wasn't sure
what she had done to him except knock him out without ever touching him. Why
couldn't he be mad at Carl? After all, weren't Gnomes supposed to be tougher?
How had she managed to knock Carl out, again without touching him? Those nagging
questions filled his mind, and he paid scarce attention to the crew members he
passed.

He was almost there. In fact, he could smell something cooking. They had
started without him! He was in trouble, and he knew it. He increased his speed,
and it was at that moment that something ran smack dab into him. His eyes closed
as he collided with the other object. He grabbed wildly for something to hold
himself up, but his hands did not find anything.

He fell forward, flaying his arms madly and taking down whatever had hit
him. It was soft, and its sweet scent filled his nose. He opened his eyes and
found himself gazing down into the startled eyes of the most beautiful woman he
had ever seen. She was looking at him with a doelike expression.

Phoebe had barely caught sight of Joxer running towards her and had
started to try to move out of his way when he had hit her. His body had crashed
into hers, and the impact threw them both instantly to the deck. She had
exclaimed, but no words had came as the air was knocked out of her. The moment
she felt able to speak again, her mouth flew open to yell at him, but she
remained silent when she found herself looking up into his eyes. She had never
seen eyes like his before. They were so handsome, so . . . bewitching . . .

Before Joxer knew what had hit him, he found himself leaning down and
kissing the startled woman. Her lips tasted of honey and thrilled him beyond
anything he'd ever felt before. {Get off of her, you big oaf!} he mentally
chastised himself. {You're probably killing her, and you know fully well that
she's going to slap you for kissing her! What are you thinking?!}

Her lips had parted in a breath of a sigh when they were suddenly taken
by his. The sensations that swept through her burned her, but before she could
even react, he started to pull away. She raised a hand and cupped his neck. Her
fingers curled around the ends of his hair even as she stilled his retreat. She
recaptured his mouth with her own.



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

Angel looked at the cage as they walked up to it. It wasn't totally
destroyed. Just two bars were missing, and the floor was covered with water that
he knew must be the melted ice. He thought she must have frozen the bars, then
shattered them and slipped through as the area created was just big enough for
her slim body.

Wesley checked the cage and was surprised to find that it was not
overall weakened. "This should be easily remedied," he said even as he walked
over to a round tube hanging on the wall. "All I need to do is replace the two
bars that she transformed and shattered. Quite a remarkable trick, actually. I
never would have considered the possibility of that escape method, but then I
still can not fathom what on Earth an Ice Elemental would be doing in this part
of the world."

Wesley removed one bar from the tube and walked over, placing it into
its normal position on the cell. He returned for another, fitting it in as well.
He then began to mutter words in a sing-song voice that Angel had never heard
before. Angel watched in amazement as the cage first shimmered and then began to
solidify, the two bars wielding themselves into firm placement. As soon as Wes
had finished, Angel got the key off of the wall and unlocked it, allowing
Brendan a chance to get in it. "Tell me what you want in there, and I'll get it
for you."

Jack had heard enough. Why was Brendan locking himself away two days
early? He knew Brendan tortured himself a lot. Jack was tired of it but knew no
way to get him to stop. He could stop this, however. Walking inside the holding
area, he called a greeting. "Brendan, it's two days before the full moon, and
there's a lot of work to be done. Weren't you giving the men physicals? How are
you going to do that in here?"

Angel knew what Jack was doing and didn't make a single sound, because
he knew that if any one could stop Brendan from locking himself away, it would
be Jack. He also knew that Brendan was never one to quit work in the middle of
anything. He hoped it would work but doubted it. Even Jack's abilities sometimes
failed.

Brendan was already starting to walk into the cage when Jack called out
to him. His friend's voice did not surprise him, nor did his comments, as he had
smelled him and knew that he would attempt to intervene in the mistaken belief
that he deserved to be free. "Jack, the physicals can wait for now. If I don't
do this, I'm bound to kill her or some one else."

"Brendan, you've never killed any one! I suggest that you lock yourself
in your cabin and not let any one come near you that you don't want to see. It's
two days before the full moon. If you lock yourself up now, in the cage, you
will be absolutely crazy by moon time."

"I'm already crazy," Brendan said, turning from where he stood in the
cage to look back at Jack with sad, haunted eyes. "You know what happened. If
you hadn't been there when she kissed me, I would have killed her. I've came
close to wolfing since then, as well, and that was only over some one," his
betraying eyes glanced at Angel before looking quickly back at Jack, "pretending
interest in her."

"Oh, so you are interested!" Jack exclaimed before he could stop
himself. "That's a good sign, Brendan," he added as he reached his friend,
grasping his shoulder. "It's a sign in the right direction."

"No, it's a sign in the wrong direction! Jack, you know I've never been
able to control it! If she touches me again, I might wolf just from the memory
of the last time!"

"I'll lock you in your room, and I'll put a guard on the door so she
can't get in."

Brendan eyed him. "Who?"

"Me," Jack replied. "You know I will not be far from you."

Brendan thought a moment. Finally, he sighed, his head dropping in
relentment. "All right," he spoke at last, "but if I should start to wolf again,
I'm coming in here and I'm not coming out until we can figure out what to do
about her."

Jack sighed. "I will first go and tell Miss Halliwell to stay away from
you unless you seek her out. Then I will return. I will not be very far from
your door. I will lock you in first before I go, and Angel will stand guard
until I return." He glanced inquiringly at Brendan, hoping that his friend would
agree.

Brendan nodded. "I . . . I am only sorry to have to be such a nuisance.
I know you both have so many other things to take care of already, but I can not
be free at this moment."

"You are not a nuisance, Brendan," Jack assured him. "You've never been
a nuisance. I care about you a lot. I only wish I had the answer. She is a
beautiful woman, and I fear she has it for you very badly. She's not going to
take the information easily."

"Perhaps not," Brendan admitted, "but she can not be allowed to continue
to place herself in danger. I . . . Something has to be done, Jack, because I .
. . " He raised his head to look up into his dearest friend's face, tears
shining in his eyes. "I don't want to have to leave, but I can not endanger her
life."

"You're not going anywhere, Brendan!" Jack's voice raised in alarm.
"Don't even think it! You're my family, and I want you where I am! I want you to
do something for me, though. I want you to search your feelings for this woman.
I know you just met her, but I want to know. Do you feel anything for her? I'm
not talking about fear that you're going to kill her. Is there something the

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