Chapter Six
Somewhere

Crystal paused above the scene of the battle and looked down, confusion
creasing her brow. She could see those she had come to love as family and
friends waging quite the fight, but she could see no sign of the enemy other
than the times that one of their own was shot or struck in some method or
another. She heard a roaring sound and turned swiftly to see two huge dragons
flying nearby and spraying the unseen areas with fire. A rain was also pouring,
and the fire sizzled out almost as soon as it began. Still, the enemy remained
almost entirely invisible. {Perhaps this might help,} Crys thought as she held
her hands out and snow began to fall.

Kat O'Hara was furious, but she raged her battle silently and with fire
thrown at their invisible enemies. How dare Ace follow her yet again! How many
times did she have to burn the seat out of his pants before he realized that he
could no longer mean anything to her?! How many times did she have to yell at
him and curse him and, the wretched Gods knew, hurt him before he left her
alone?! And why, why in blazing Hell did the others have to follow, as well?
They should be safe at home! This was her battle! She should have went it
entirely alone, but she had not. Now, if she could not find a way to stop it,
the others would pay the price.

Her emerald eyes scanned the area as she whirled around. There was one
thing she could do, but it would require intense concentration and she had no
coverage. It didn't matter, she thought, if she could at least herd them back.
The few that were in front of her were hopeless; unfortunately, Zora was one of
those. She would not let the others die this day, however, if she could help it.
At the directions of her hands, fire began to shoot forth from the ground,
circling her friends and the combatants closest to them and cutting them off
from the rest of the fight.

A sudden roar of pain from up ahead shattered Kat's concentration, and
she turned to see Zora going down. She had not heard what had hit her and knew
not if it was a weapon or a simple fist, but even from the distance that parted
them, she could see the blood beginning to seep out of the cheetah's shoulder.
How, she wondered for a fleeting second, could whatever they were fighting be
fast enough to strike such a blow upon the fastest animal on the Earth?

At the roar of pain, many heads had snapped up, and even as Vang darted
over Kat's fire to reach his child, Gabrielle called to her lover. "I've got to
get to her!" Xena seemed to pay no attention to her, but Gabby could tell she
was listening to something. "Xena?" she called. She felt something rushing up
behind her and slammed her fist back into it without bothering to attempt a
look. "Xena, what is it?"

"Xena," the voice heard only by the Pirate Princess continued to whisper
betweenst giggles. "Xena! Oh, what fun this is! You truly don't remember, do
you? Pirate Princess? Ha! It was enough of a laugh when you called yourself the
Warrior Princess!" Laughter echoed around Xena, but it was heard by her ears
alone.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Xena hollered at her attacker. "If I could see you,
you'd no longer laugh! When was I a Warrior Princess?" Even as she hurled the
words back at her unseen attacker, the snow began to fall, and as it fell,
outlines began to appear. In the midst of a bunch of what looked like regular,
burly men, a lone, short female appeared. Xena wondered why her outline seemed
so familiar. She could now see her, and her hands reached out and grabbed at her
only to have her disappear completely, leaving behind giggling. She had not
heard Gabrielle and now stood, as one stunned or in a trance.

Connor raced, swinging his sword wildly and cutting off heads as he ran.
He had to reach Zora. He knew not what had attacked his love, but they would not
take her and they would not kill her this day! As he reached her side, he cut
yet another head off as they were reaching for Vang and trying to pull him off
of Zora. Vang was trying desperately to stop the flow of blood with his paws.
Connor thought he'd never seen so much blood in his life. "Zora?" he called her
name gently even as he ripped off his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding. His
wild eyes cast around for some one to help, and he spotted Gabrielle. He called
desperately to her.

When Hook had heard Zora roar, he had raced in the same direction that
he could see Connor heading, and he soon came upon the trio. He had to look away
at the sight of the blood. How could some one live who had lost so much? he
wondered. He prayed that the girl was not dead. "We've got to get her out of
here," he told the other two. "Can she demorph," he asked Vang, "or would that
be too much? We could carry her then." He heard a whirling noise behind him and
turned just in time to use his hook to pull an attacker's guts out. He shook the
grisly remains off of his hook.

Ace looked at the ever-growing band of fire and shook his head. "Clyde,
you might should go back through Phillip, but I'm not going back through until I
can bring Kat with me. She's a little crazy today." Clyde decided to argue with
Ace, and Ace gave him a very stern look. "She's not crazy every day, just some
days. Now you get back through the mirror and take Captain with you."

Clyde eyed Ace dubiously. "{{{That'll be impossible for that damn cat is
wrapped around Kat, and I can't get him off!}}}"

"Then take yourself safely back through and wait on the other side."
Chattering madly all the way, Clyde left.

"IS THAT ALL YE'VE GOT, KAT?!" Ace yelled at her, using her brogue
against her. "I'M NAE LEAVIN' YE, NAE MATTER HOW MUCH FIRE YE THROW AT ME! YE'LL
HAVE TAE KILL ME TAE MAKE ME LEAVE YE!"

"THAT CAN BE ARRANGED, YE BLOODY BASTARD, AN' DIN'T BE TALKIN' WIT' THE
TONGUE WHEN YER NAE O' THE PEOPLE! SHUT YER MOUTH, OR I'LL SHUT IT FER YE!"

"{{{Kat,}}}" Captain exclaimed, "{{{that's Ace you're talking to!}}}"

"Well'n I knae that, Capt'n! What are ye diin' here any way? Ye should
nae be here! I win't fail in keepin' ye alive!"

"AIN'T GONNA WORK!" Ace called back to her in his own accent. "I DON'T
KNOW WHAT I DID, KAT, BUT I'M SORRY FOR IT! I WON'T LEAVE YOU HERE!"



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Angel looked at Lorne and Cordelia, who had ran straight into the battle
the moment they had arrived and were still slicing at any movement they felt
from anything they could not see. They were fighting back to back, and Angel
couldn't help but to grin at the sight. He never thought he'd see the day that
either one of them would be covered in blood and guts, but they had been in
there fighting just as hard as the rest of them and had the grisly remains to
show for it. As their enemy had suddenly appeared due to Crystal's snowflakes,
they were having no trouble dispatching the ones that were left. In fact, now
that the enemy could be seen, the enemy seemed to be disappearing.

Angel grabbed another one as it ran past, wondering if perchance they
were running away from something they couldn't see. {Surely they're not running
away from us?} he thought. In fact, some of the men had been laughing only
minutes before they were suddenly being seen. The smell of blood filled the air,
and he knew some one was hurt terribly bad. "COLE," Angel called.

Cole appeared. He kicked another enemy down with his right foot as he
shimmered into sight. "Some one's been hurt terribly bad. Maybe you should
shimmer them home?"

"I'm on it," he told Angel. He shimmered into sight by Zora's group.
"What happened?" he asked. He had arrived just in time to hear James' question
as to whether or not Zora could demorph. It didn't matter; Cole could carry her
either way.



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"I ALREADY TOLD YE," Kat shot back. "IF'N YE'RE STUPID ENOUGH NAE TAE
KNAE WHAT YE DID, THERE'S NAE WAY IN HELL I'LL BE TELLIN' YE!" She looked away
and restrengthened her fire. It seeped in another inch closer to Ace and the
others who were caught in it. "NOW YE TAKE YER ASSES HOME!"

Kat knew Ace had not seen her tears, but she did not expect the question
that met her ears. "{{{Kat, darlin',}}}" Captain purred, "{{{ye're trying
awfully hard nae tae cry. Why won't ye tell me what it is? Whate'er he did, is
it really worth destroyin' yer future tagether o'er it?}}}"

Kat's answer came to Captain in a long, sad meow that she hoped was
quiet enough that Ace would never catch wind of it. "{{{He did nae di a t'ing,
Capt'n.}}} An' now's nae the time tae be discussin' it."

"I could agree no more with you, my friend," a voice called down from
the heavens, "but your fire must cease for it is hurting Mother Earth. I will
not tolerate her cries." A torrent of rain began to drench Kat's fire.

"'Tis fer a worthy cause!"

"There is no just reason to harm Our Mother."

Piper looked up as she heard her godmother's words. The redhead had
bought it now. No one argued with 'Ro and won, not even Wolverine. She looked to
her sister and found Prue completely oblivous, her large eyes watching
something, or perhaps some one, on the other side of the fire.

Prue could not tear her eyes off of Brendan. Was he not aware that he
was totally naked? She knew that the wolf would not mind but that Brendan, the
man, would hate it! {The wolf must be in control,} she thought, {and I've got
something right here for you, wolfie!} She smiled prettily across the fire,
inticing him to come closer. Prue was oblivious to anything going on around her;
she was so caught up in the moment with Brendan.

"Ye would nae say that if it 'twas yer family ye were tryin' tae save by
hurtin' Her!" Kat's exclamation brought a roar of thunder from the darkened sky,
but Ororo did not answer her with words. A battle was no time for a discussion
that neither side would give in upon.

Gabrielle, meanwhile, looked frantically between Xena and Zora. She knew
Zora needed her help, but her heart cried out to help her love. She had to . . .

"It's okay. I'll calm her and protect her, but I have no medical
training. You've got to help Zora!"

Gabrielle turned and swiped her wet hair out of her face. The telepath
called Rachel Summers stood before her, smiling gently and reassuringly. "I
promise you no one will lay a hand on her while I'm with her." As an example of
her ability to keep her promise, Ray shot out a hand and five of their enemy
were simultaneously thrown backwards.

Gabby nodded, though she still hated to leave Xena. "Thank you." She
turned and ran, and Rachel flew to Xena's side.

"Xena?" the redhead called as she approached the woman she'd heard tales
of as the great Pirate Princess. "How can I help?"

Xena shook her head as though in a daze. "I didn't see her. Who was she,
and why did she call me the Warrior Princess?" She looked at Ray but did not see
her.

Rachel kept her guard on full attention. "What did she look like?" she
questioned. "Where'd she go?" She cast a quick look around but only saw more
burly males attempting to approach. She quickly threw them back with her
telekinesis.

"She's gone. She was laughing at me. Her voice sounded like a little
child's voice. I don't know what she looked like; I only saw an outline of a
small woman. I can't stand this!" Xena's voice grew stronger. "It's like my mind
is going away! I need to have my mind on fighting, and yet I keep hearing her
laughter!"

With a conscious effort that took everything Xena had in her, she
managed to pull herself back together just in time to swing her sword and cut a
man in half who was about to attack Ray from behind. "We've got to get our
people out of here," Xena told Ray. "There's too much going on. If we get away,
we can live and fight another day. How many have been hurt? And where's
Gabrielle?" Her eyes frantically searched for Gabby. She had to be all right!

"She's fine. I sent her to help Zora and promised her I'd take care of
you. She was really worried about you, and she's not the only one." She eyed
her. "Do you really think it's best to retreat? It looks like we're finally
gaining the winning hand here."

"But how many are hurt?"

Rachel looked around. "I don't know. There's no way to be certain for
sure. The only one I've seen go down is Zora."

"Then we need to get her home and kill the rest of these bastards!" Xena
headed in the direction she had heard the scream come from when Zora went down.

Rachel eyed Xena's retreating back. As much as she admired the woman,
she really did seem to be dipping in the loony bin. The situation might
eventually call for protecting her from herself and her own good intentions. If
it did, she'd knock her out and let Xena raise Hell on her head for it when she
was better. For now, she only flew swiftly behind her and continued to fight as
they progressed.

Meanwhile, Vang had not lifted his head or attempted to answer the
others. Silent tears traced down his cheeks. This wasn't right! Zora could save
herself with a simple demorph, yet she was not bothering to attempt it! She was
conscious, he knew that without a doubt, for she would have demorphed when she
had fallen unconscious. "Please," his choked whisper could barely be heard,
"don't do this!"

"What's happening?" a female voice questioned. Celina's blue eyes turned
to Zora's still, bleeding body as her husband's talons released her to stand on
her own on the ground. "There'll be no moving of her, not yet." She sensed
Gabrielle running towards them before she saw her and lifted her head to look at
the blonde. "I have this. You go back to Xena."

"And you, young lady," she continued, kneeling beside Zora's head, "do
not make me force you to demorph. You are capable of doing such. I know the
thoughts that are running through your mind. I feel your pain, and I feel their
pain as well. There are several hearts breaking here."

Celina's chocolate ears twitched at the soft grunt of denial that
escaped Zora. "You may think it a lie if you wish, but I promise you, Seraphina
Zora Sheridan, I shall not see you die this day. One way or another, you will
demorph."

Connor had listened to everything said. Something was not being said, he
realized. Neither of them had spoken about what had happened in the trial, and
he knew that he, his father, and brother had had to break them apart when they
had been fighting after the cake test. He still could not believe they had
managed to defeat the thing and thought that he'd remember hearing the splash of
the cake and the snarling, biting glumps of the crocs for the rest of his life.

Now he looked down into his beloved's face. "Zora, if you can demorph,
please demorph! It doesn't matter what happened in the tests! I love you! You
complete me! Please don't do this!" The boy did not even realize that tears were
running down his face and splashing onto his love's.

Cole had moved back out of the way. Something was going on here that he
didn't understand, and until further development, he would return to the
fighting. He figured it was family. If the girl could demorph, it would save
her, and he had just heard Celina say that she could, even if she forced her, so
he knew it was not his business.

He returned to Piper, who was in the process of freezing yet another
enemy. He gazed at Prue's face and then looked through the fire and saw Brendan.
"Piper? Beloved? You'd better get a hold of your sister! She's gazing at
Brendan; he's naked!"

James saw Cole leave and wondered if he should back up and leave the
girl to Connor and Vang. He decided to do just that but gave her one parting
shot before he moved back. "Zora, not only do I think that you're beautiful and
am glad that you're my son's choice, but I don't believe you're a coward. No
matter what went down in the test, it was not your fault! Stop blaming yourself,
and snap out of it, girl!" He squeezed her arm gently and moved out of the way.

Frederic didn't say anything, just continued to fight the enemy and keep
them off of his family. No one else seemed to be down except for Zora. He had
not been surprised to hear his father tell her that she was not a coward. He
didn't believe she was, either. Nope, his new sister-to-be was not only
beautiful, but she was proud, brave, and right now, she was kicking herself
plenty big, something he had been known to do in the past, as well.

He added his silent pleas to his father's. {She'll pull out of it,} he
told himself. {She has to.} He hated to think about his little brother if he
lost her, and Vang would be lost. And there would go Smee, his father who he
still hadn't figured out what to do about! Was there ever such a tangled web to
unweave? he wondered and wished, for about the thousandth time, that he had
magical powers so that he could not only protect his family but clean out of
their minds what they didn't need to be having!

She wasn't a coward, but why should she live a life that wasn't worth
living? She growled out a question but did not have enough wit left to her to
speak it in English.

Vang growled fiercely in response, his tail striking the ground, and
Celina shook her head sadly, one of her ebony hands resting reassuringly upon
the top of Zora's head. "You failed no one, dear child, but you will fail us all
if you do not demorph. They speak the truth. All you need do to know is sniff.
The nose never lies, no matter how desperately we may want it to. Now, if you
love them as I know you do, smell them as they speak, but if you do not try to
demorph in time, I will enter your mind and demorph you my own self."

Slowly, Zora's nose began to twitch. The first thing she smelled was her
own blood. The second was the salt of Connor's, Vang's, and Celina's tears. "You
are my daughter," Vang spoke first, his deep voice filled with sadness, "and it
was I who failed you. You have never once failed me, my child, and though our
blood is not the same, I could love you no more than if you were my own flesh
and blood. You always knew that before; know that now. I love you, and I'm sorry
for what happened, for what . . . almost happened . . . but it was the Weres,
not us, but the beasts within us. We had no hope of controlling ourselves that
night, thanks to the accursed Council, but do not let them ruin all our lives.
If you die, my child, I die, as well."

"And my heart dies with you," Connor told her.

James reached out blindly to grip Connor's shoulder. "You can not do
this to my son, my daughter, not if you truly love him!" He swiped angrily at
his tears in between gripping the boy's shoulder. "No one blames you for that
night. Hell, no one blames any of us! We were tested beyond our strengths and
our beliefs! They should pay for it, but the nightmares we bought with our own
tears!" He sniffed rather loudly, then swiped at his tears again.

Celina paid rapt attention to Zora's emotions more than anything else as
she looked up at James through her own tears. She could tell he was angry with
himself for crying. "Tears are not a sign of weakness, James," she spoke, her
tail swishing gently. "It is a true sign of strength if you allow yourself to be
free to show your emotions and never fear what others will think if you do."

She then turned her attention back to Zora. "I know you smelled the
truth in their words, my niece. Our fates are tied to your own. What will you
have happen now? Can you truly . . . " Her words broke off in a smile as Zora's
fur was slowly thinning.

Vang sighed deeply and lowered his head. "Perhaps She still cares, after
all."

"Lady Bast has never removed Herself from us, Vang, but we must help
ourselves before She can help us." Celina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Celina's words brought comfort to James' heart. He couldn't remember
when he'd ever had so many raw emotions coming from himself. He had changed so
much since coming to the island, and he had lost Smee. He couldn't stop the
changes, but he was determined to get Smee back. Maybe Celina should be the one
he talked to when they returned home? Would she have words of advice that would
help? She seemed so brave and wise. His tears stopped when he saw Zora pulling
herself back to human form, and Connor leaned down and kissed Zora's cat lips
even as they turned human.

"About damn time!" Frederic muttered. He was determined to be the
strongest one in the family. He would not break down and cry, and he knew that
most of James' emotions had to do with Smee. He marvelled at how their family
had grown since they had come to the island and the changes he saw in his
father, Hook.

But what was he going to do with his father, Smee? {I'll go in the room
and pull him out when I get home again. He's got to know that we love him and
want him! At least as long as nothing bad happens to Vang, he won't do anything
bad to himself, but we can't go on like this!}

He, too, smiled down at Zora before turning his attention back to the
enemy who seemed to be completely gone. The last two running enemies were taken
by some one he didn't recognize and Wolverine. Just who the Hell was this new
one? Every day, somebody new turned up! The new guy did not appear to be strong
enough to handle the enemy, yet he was very skilled with his sword and had soon
defeated the enemy. Wolverine went for the gut, ripped it out, and then wiped it
off on his enemy's shirt. "Let's go home," he said, talking to Jack.

Jack looked around at every one. "They go first."

"O' course, my son," Wolverine told him.

Frederic was even more stunned when he heard that. Wolverine had another
son he didn't know about?! And just where was Captain Jack in all this mess? He
knew Jack was not a coward and would not have remained at home, yet he did not
see him.

"We're going home now," he told the rest of his family. "We've defeated
the last one."

"Prudence Halliwell!" Piper repeated for what was close to being the
dozenth time. "Do not dare tune me out! You are a lady; Mother and Grandmother
always trained us to be such! Now remove your eyes this instant!" With the last
of the fire finally gone, Piper was able to finally step directly in front of
her sister. Her red face was steamed, and her hands were perched on her hips.
"Behave yourself! I don't know what happened to his clothes, but that's no call
for you to act like Elvira!"

"Hey!" Elvira quipped from nearby. "She should act like me more often!
If she did, she wouldn't just be lost to moaning his name in the dark of the
night!" Then she remembered Wolf and her current situation. "'Course that would
be me before the trials," she muttered. Her face scrunched in frustrated
thought. "I can't even remember how long it's been now since I last got laid!
Damn, I'm horny!"

"Elvira!" Ororo admonished as she touched down behind them. "That is no
kind of language to be speaking around the girls! Honestly! What's come over
you?"

"You wouldn't understand, sister; you've been getting busy every night."

"You must find him!" a voice rose above the others. "He's got to be here
somewhere! By whatever God may still care, Brendan, sniff! Track him, damn you!"

"I'm doing all I can!" Brendan answered wretchedly.

"No, you're not! Change, blast it! Get your wolf out; your wolf can find
him!"

Prue was wondering who they were talking about finding. Who was Brendan
looking for? "I'm over here," she called and waved her hand at him.

Brendan glanced at Prue in puzzlement. What was the beautiful woman
grinning so giddily about now?

Piper grabbed her sister's hand and snatched it down. "Put some clothes
on!" she told Brendan.

"Huh?" Brendan looked puzzedly down at himself, and his mouth dropped
open. Then he covered his sword with his hands and jumped behind Will. "Why
didn't you tell me?!" he demanded.

"I forgot?" Will sheepishly offered. "But that doesn't matter now!
You've been naked pretty much the whole while! We've got to find Jack!"

"I'm not doing anything naked!"

"Brendan!" Prue grinned at him.

Jack had not been close enough to hear the boys worrying about where he
was at. He had stopped by Zora's group to check on the girl. He had not been
able to reach her during the battle. "I'm glad to see you're going to be all
right, young lady; it's time to go home. See ya back at the house."

James looked at the newcomer. "Who the Hell are you?" he asked.

"Aw, come on, Hook! You've been knowing me for years! What's wrong?"

"I don't know you!" he said, his hand going to the hilt of his sword and
his hook raising threateningly.

"Have I changed that much?" Jack asked and grinned.

"Wow, Captain Jack!" Connor exclaimed, looking at him. "I thought you
were much older than my Father, but now . . . You barely look older than
Frederic!"

There had been no mistaking Jack's voice once Hook thought about it, but
he was definitely having trouble putting this young-faced Captain with the
Captain he'd been knowing for years. "No wonder they can't find ya," he
commented.

"Who's looking for me?" Jack questioned.

"Will and Brendan."

"Thanks for telling me, Hook. I'll let them know I'm here." Jack walked
away from the group and headed toward the direction Hook had indicated the boys
were in. He saw his father head over to them, as well. He reached them first.
"What's the matter with you two? Go home; Jack's already gone home!"

It was then that Jack felt a hand reach out and touch him and a familiar
voice said, "No, you don't! You're not ready, and he's not seeing you till you
are! Now get your ass moving!"

Jack groaned. He wondered what else Elvira had planned for him, but he
followed her directions. The sooner he complied with her wishes, the sooner
she'd leave him alone and the sooner, hopefully, Will would want him again.

Ace crawled up out of the hole he'd finally found himself in when fire
had rung all around him. He looked around and saw that most of them were headed
toward the portal he could see Phillip had created. He snuck back by Kat to make
sure she was going; he'd wait until she left. He hid himself rather well, he
thought, until he felt eyes upon him. He looked up, hoping that it wasn't Kat,
and met the gaze of Captain staring straight at him. He put his finger to his
lips and motioned the tabby cat to be quiet. Hopefully, Captain wouldn't give
him away.

Captain smiled slyly and gently kneaded Kat's shoulder. "{{{Well, now
the battle's done an' o'er wit', so we should be able tae talk, lassie. Why are
ye so pissed at Ace if'n he did nae di a t'ing?}}}"

Ace was careful not to make a sound; he had to clamp both hands over his
mouth. Just why the Hell was Kat pissed at him if he hadn't done anything?! He
listened intently, hoping that Kat would spill the beans and praying that it was
something he could do something about.

Kat sighed heavily; she had no clue Ace was anywhere nearby for she'd
put him in a hole to protect him and hadn't seen him climb out. "'Tis a long
story, Capt'n, one I've nae use fer gettin' in tae, but 'tis time tae gi."

"{{{Will ye nae gi' me a clue, dear lass? I knae it had somethin' tae di
wit' what happened back in the trials, but just what did happen? And blast those
Council assholes all the way to a Hell filled with gigantic litterboxes fer them
to drown in upside down fer nae lettin' me accompany ye!}}}"

"'Twas best ye did nae," she told him with a sigh, "fer ye mightn't have
made it back oot, 'specially nae after ye saw him."

"{{{Him?}}}"

"Aye. Grandpa 'twas there, but like I tol' ye now's nae the time fer
this discussion so hush up. 'Tis time we went home."

"{{{Home? Ye mean back tae the isle?}}}"

Kat didn't answer him, and it was with sad, troubled eyes that Captain
looked back to Ace's shadowy form.

Ace watched as Kat and Captain went through the portal, then counted to
ten, and ran. He was the last one through the portal, and it was beginning to
close. He barely made it through. His mind kept repeating the fact that her
grandfather had returned. He wondered what the old bastard had to say to her
that made her hate him now. He had never had the privilege of meeting him, and
now that he had put grief into his beloved's heart, Ace was glad he had not met
the old geezer.

He hoped that, in time, she would tell Captain what was wrong and
Captain would tell him. Maybe, between the two of them, they could work Kat's
problems over and get a winning solution. He lay where he'd fallen in the room,
recovering his breath and hoping that she had continued on out of the room and
not looked back. She'd have his ass if she had!


Chapter Seven
Jack's Bedroom

His conscious mind was not even aware of those who flanked him as he
stepped through the portal, yet he knew, in his heart, that they were there,
just as they always were in times of need. He walked to the being his full
attention was intent upon and bent over, silently admiring her beauty. He sighed
deeply as he ran a loving hand over the soft, jet black fur of her lovely face
and whispered in the tongue of their birth language. "{{{Oh, Katrina, why do you
always do this to yourself, my sweet?}}}"

"You know why, Tom," the gentle, assuring voice came from his left. His
sister-in-law lightly touched his elbow. "Though she never wanted the royal
duties of a Princess, she has always done all that she can for her people."

He sighed again as he stroked her fur and then lifted his beloved wife
into his arms. "I just wish it didn't always come with such a price." {One day,}
he continued silently, {I fear she'll drain herself too far and be unable to
recover.}

Celina did not say a word as she followed behind Tom; she did not even
voice her worries to her husband as Morph wrapped a reassuring arm around her
small shoulders. She knew what Tom feared, and they had shared the same fear
since they were kittens: that Katrina would one day go too far and not be able
to return to them. If that ever happened, Celina would do all she could to save
her sister, but she feared that, in the long run, she would fail them.

Vang glanced at the trio walking ahead of his group with deep concern in
his eyes. He knew what troubled them but had no more answers for them than he
had for Smee and James. There would have always been a way to save Katrina back
on Alderberan, but with their home world discovered, only Bast knew what might
happen.

Zora glanced down at her father, sensing his concern, and stroked his
back. "She'll be okay." As they passed out of Jack's bedroom and into the
hallway, she turned to face James and Frederic. James' long face had already
returned, and she knew exactly why it was there. "Thank you," she spoke
sincerely, "both of you. You did what you could to help there, and I appreciate
it." She smiled at them.

Zora's smile was immediately contagious to Vang, and he placed Katrina
out of his mind for the time being as he turned to face the others. "I, too,
thank you, gentlemen. If I had lost my Seraphina, there would be nothing left in
this world for me to want to stay." His deep, green eyes met James'. "I know
what troubles Smee and you. I wish I could help. I know not what to do yet, but
should I be presented with a way to help, I promise I'll do whatever I can."

Zora nodded. "Me too."

James looked at both of them and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for those
kind words, but alas, I know not what to do! I know not what to tell you! I,
too, am waiting and watching for an opportunity." Then a thought came to him.
"Celina?" he called. "May I have a word with you?"

Celina and Morph turned around as one at the sound of James' voice.
Celina looked back over her shoulder at Tom. He smiled reassuringly at her. "Go
ahead. Help him if you can. I'll take care of Katrina. It's my duty and my
pleasure to do so."

Celina then turned to her husband. "Go with him, love; I'll join you
gentlemen soon." She gave his lips a light kiss, then headed toward James.



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

Lex had just left Jack's bed chamber when his partner caught his wrist
and pulled him back into the room. "Clark," he asked puzzedly, "what is it?"

"Faith's chained." Confusion creased his brow as he pointed at the bed.
"At least, she's back."

"She left?"

Clark looked at Lex as though he'd taken complete leave of his senses.
"You didn't know?"

"No! I knew she was having problems with Dawson, but I never . . . " He
walked closer to the bed. "Why is she chained to Hansel?"

Elvira, standing outside the bathroom door after having ushered Jack
inside long before the others had started coming back through Phillip, looked
over at the couple. "She's chained to Hansel for her own good, same reason why
they're chained to the bed. They've been running, hiding from their problems and
their loves, and getting drunk in Tortuga."

Lex wasn't surprised Faith was drunk, and he was glad Hansel had gone
after her. He was, without a doubt, the reason why she was not already dead. He
reached out and turned her hand. Hearing Clark's sharp intake of breath at the
sight of the first cut, he laid her back down and stroked her hand. "How long
was she gone?"

"I think about two weeks."

Elvira shook her head at Clark's statement. "Four."

"A whole month?"

"Just about."

Lex's words came in a hushed breath of disappointment. "She must have
left right after that night she came into our bedroom. She needed help, but I
just don't see how . . . " He shook his head.

"Me neither," Clark replied with a shudder at the memory of Faith's
naked body. "Honestly, until I found out she actually ran away, I thought she'd
just had a bit too much tequilla. I mean, who would believe that the Queen of .
. . " He blushed. " . . . you-know couldn't do that any more?"

Lex's eyes slanted sideways at Clark with a dubious expression.

"I didn't say it!" the brunette exclaimed, his hands in the air. "That's
the way she put it!"

"Guys, I know all about what was going on, and I've got a way to fix it.
Just leave it to me, but I need you two to go on out of here right now."

Lex and Clark looked at Elvira; neither liked leaving Faith to her.
"I'll call you as soon as she wakes up." When they continued to stare at her,
the Vampiress smiled reassuringly. "Promise. She needs her big bros."

As Lex followed Clark out of the room, he glanced back at Faith one last
time and shook his head sadly. How could he have been so distracted with his own
worries and memories of what had happened that he could have missed being there
for Faith? He lowered his head. He was a Luthor; he had failed his own sister
when she needed him the most.



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

"Elvira?" Ororo had stopped beside her long-time friend and whispered
her name so softly that it took the Vampiress' superior hearing to catch the
sound.

"Yeah? What's up, 'Ro," Elvira returned, "and why are we whispering?"

"How much longer do you think it will take you with Jack?"

"Five minutes. Ten, tops. Why?"

"Get him down to the living room immediately afterwards."

"Sure thing." She picked up the weed that was laid on Jack's dresser and
pressed it into Ororo's hand. "Will you make sure Piper gets half of this in
Faith's drink and half in Will's?"

"Hmm." Ororo examined the weed she held. "Is this for what I think it
is?" At Elvira's nod, she whispered, "Our dear Piper may not be the best one,
but I'll see that it's arranged."

Stepping away from Elvira as she headed into the bathroom, Ororo swiftly
headed into the hallway. She was relieved to find most of their people still in
the hall and, keeping the weed hidden in her tightly-clenched hand by her side,
spoke up at a gentle tone none could help overhearing. "I understand there was
to be a meeting?"

"Aye," Sean answered with a glance in the African woman's direction.
"There's tae be a meetin' in a half hour in the family room. Tha' should be
plenty enough time fer e'ery one ta get cleaned up." He flashed a grin and a
wink at his beloved Emma, whose hand he clasped tightly to. Then he looked
sternly around at the others. "E'ery one must be there."

Even as he walked with his lady love snuggled close to his side, Sean's
mind turned to Kurt. He had not seen his friend during the battle and hoped it
was only because he was setting up for the meeting. He knew Kurt and James Hook
were responsible for calling the meeting and knew it was to help those who were
still plagued with problems. His own heart had been quite carefree ever since
reuniting with his wife, but there were still far too many of their number who
were slowly dying inside, just as he had been when he had been without his Em.

He'd ask Kurt where he'd been and how he had managed to miss the battle
when he saw him at the meeting. He knew Kurt had loved to fight in the past,
though he'd never have admitted to it, but he had no idea what his friend had
been going through after the trials. He knew Kitty was upset for any one passing
the lass in the hall could see it clearly in her down-turned face. He had not
seen his Captain as upset as she'd been for the last several weeks since they'd
lost Wisdom.

He wondered if there might perhaps be more to Kurt's absence in the
battle. Was something going on with the Gods? He had tried to contact Them to
thank Them for reuniting him with Emma, but it had been like praying to a great
void. He had dismissed Their absence, especially Hers, as being due to his
previous denouncment of Them, but now he wondered if any one, including Kurt,
had seen Aphrodite since the night they had taken the ship to get their loved
ones back.

"Very well. I expect you all to be there with bells on," Ororo spoke,
looking around at the group and clearing her throat at Sean's retreating back.
The Irish man never looked back, and she could hear Emma's rather disdainful
cluck in her throat despite the distance that separated them due to the silent
respect the others granted her. She chose to ignore the couple, who had been
acting like they were on their second honeymoon ever since returning to the
island, and looked quickly away when Emma's hand grasped Sean's rear.

"Cole, James, Wolverine, and . . . Rachel, if the four of you would
continue on to make sure every one is aware of this meeting, I would greatly
appreciate it. And, Phillip?" She turned to look back in at the mirror with
deadly warning in her blue eyes.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Let no one leave through you. If they try to, call me or Cole. If you
let them leave, a lightning bolt will be the last thing you ever see."

Phillip gulped, but he was not the only one who received chills from the
Weather Witch's warning. "Yes'm."

Cole grinned at 'Ro lopsidedly when she turned back around. He had not
seen her take charge in a while, but he knew the last time crap had hit the fan
and he didn't dare go up against her now. "Yes, ma'am," he told her, "as soon as
I drop Piper off in the kitchen." He reached out, took Piper's hand, and
shimmered her to the kitchen.

Chong was full of questions: what had happened, where had they gone, and
what had they done. He had cooked the breakfast. People were lingering at the
table, still eating.

Cole did not see Kurt and wondered where he had gone. Was he so much
into the cloth that he no longer fought? He remembered a time when Kurt had
single-handedly taken out three at a time, but that had been before the trials.
He was afraid that the trials had affected Kurt as much as they had every one
else and that Kurt was now in hiding. He had to find him to make sure that he
knew that the meeting would be taking place in a half hour.



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

The Hall

James didn't exactly know how to approach the situation, but he knew
that perhaps, in this beautiful and gentle woman, the solution to his and Smee's
problem might exist. "Would you walk with me a minute, Celina?" he asked. A
gentle smile played over his lips.

Zora's steady gaze moved back and forth between Celina and James for a
brief moment before she turned to Connor and Vang. She retook Connor's arm as
she spoke. "Let's go to our room. I still . . . " She made a face. "I have some
more I need to get off of my chest." She smiled over at Frederic. "We'll see you
at the meeting," she told him before starting to lead the way.

Celina had seen the question in Zora's green eyes and gave her silent
affirmation to leave the two of them alone. Now she faced James again.
"Certainly, James." She moved her hand toward his arm. "May I call you James?"
At his nod and offer, she took his arm. It was good to see the man smiling
again, but she knew it would not last and was mostly for show. It did not touch
his heart nor would it until such a time as he and Smee were together.

They walked along the hall until they came to her door. He opened it.
Inside lay the library. It was a room that very seldom had any one in it. "We
could talk in here," he suggested to her.

Celina nodded and slipped inside. Her blue eyes grazed the room's
countless shelves of books like a sheep might adore a fresh field of flowers.
She would love to have time to delve into the endless array of knowledge this
remarkable room offered. She had last been in here, trying to coax Trina out
back when she was deep within every book available on the topic she searched.
The blonde woman had claimed to only be finding out everything she could on
Angels after learning that Andrew was one, but Celina had known that she was
seeking any way possible to join him . . . known and been unable to do anything
about it, much as she was now helpless to help James and Smee with their
problem, no matter how much she would like to do so. Her ebony tail swished at
the memory, and she turned to James as he shut the door behind them. "I know
what weighs on your mind, my friend. I wish I could help."

James paced anxiously to and fro in the room and finally came to stand
still in front of the fireplace. It wasn't lit as the weather did not call for
it yet. He looked at her. "I know that you're aware that there are problems
between Smee and me. I couldn't talk to my boys about it. They don't know all of
it; they just know some of it. But I can't keep it inside any more, either. I
think, if I do, I'm going to explode. I know that you're a . . . I forget the
word. I've heard it. But that you understand . . . feelings? Emotions? What I'm
wondering is if perhaps you have the power, or maybe even your sister might have
the power, to make Smee forget. It's the only way, I think, we'll ever be
together again, is if he forgets! Can you help me? Can you make him forget?" He
looked at her with pleading eyes.

Celina sighed and sank into a nearby chair that some one had left pulled
out. James' puppy dog eyes, as Morph referred to the expression, were almost as
bad as her husband's, and she could not bare to face him. She let her head rest
in her hands for a moment as she contemplated how best to answer him. It wasn't
that what he asked was an impossibility or anywhere near the level of absurdity
he might have once thought it to be. She could very easily make Smee forget, but
to take another living person's memory . . . She had never done so and could
have only done so if it was the only way to save the life of some one she loved.

"It . . . It is very possible," she spoke at last, "for a telepath to
make him forget. I would love to help you, James; I really would. However, to
enter Smee's mind and make him forget without his permission . . . " She shook
her head slowly. "That would go against everything I was taught. It would be . .
. It would be a violation of his body, his mind, and even his soul to make him
forget something of that magnitude."

"If he doesn't forget, he's going to kill himself. I've got to find some
way around that, Celina! I can't be with him; he won't let me be! He is
determined, and I . . . I am just as determined as he is to kill himself to save
him! I thought that you would understand, that you would help me." He didn't
know what else to say. He had asked, and she had refused him. But she had said
it was possible to be done. He'd just have to find the right person to do it.
"Thank you for your time, dear lady; I hate to keep you from your family."

Celina lifted her head and rested her chin upon the backs of her clasped
fingers. Her eyes were deeply troubled as she pondered the situation. "I know he
thinks of killing himself often, James. I know, too, why he has not done so yet.
He fears that if he takes his life, it will also end Vang's. He awaits the
Council's decisions to know if he can take his life without taking his. Bast
only knows what the outcome of the trials will be, if, indeed, they ever bother
to show back up." The tip of her tail struck the air.

"I can tell you this, though." She finally rose her eyes back to his.
"Though it goes against everything I've ever been taught and would have been
considered a great sin back home, I have always known that I could take a memory
from some one if it was the only way to save some one I love or preserve my
home, though Goddess knows it's far too late for the latter. You and I are not
blood kin, but we are, nonetheless, related. If the time should come that Smee
finalizes his decision, I will take the memory away from him . . . " She shook
her head. " . . . but I can not do so otherwise. I am sorry." Her eyes spoke the
truth of her words.

"I thank you for that much," James told her, "and for telling me that it
can be done. I must seek some one else to carry the deed out for the sooner it
is done, the better. I can not bare the thought that my beloved wishes to kill
himself. I have tried, in vain, to tell him the truth, but he will not see it!
He leaves me with no other choice." He walked to the door and opened it for her,
allowing her to go.

"I can not answer for my sister." Celina stood and began to amble toward
the door. "Goddess knows her morales do not match my own, though I love her so.
She is, however, quite drained after that last . . . excursion." She spoke the
word bitterly, then smiled at him again. "If there should be something else I
can do to help, just name it."

"I understand what happened was due to a spell. I thought once of
showing him the memory, but it would probably still not carry your emotions
over. At least, my level of telepathy most likely would not . . . " She sighed.
"It is a thought, though."

She paused inside the door and met his gaze once more. "I shall be with
my family in Katrina and Tom's room until the meeting, if you should have any
further need of me. I wish I could help you more, but I simply can not do that."
Shaking her head sadly once more, she left him to his thoughts.

James' quick mind was already turning little wheels, trying to figure
out who he could turn to next, and in one clear moment, he saw her standing
there and knocking five people away at one time. {Rachel Summers!} he thought to
himself with a sly grin. {I wonder what she will take in payment for I would be
more than willing to pay her everything I own!}

His grin grew even wider. {I believe I have every dubloon and jewel I
have ever lost, and that adds up to quite a bit!} he told himself. He prayed
that it would be enough to buy for Rachel's services. He almost skipped from the
library at the delicious thought of Smee in his bed once more! He continued on
to the next room to tell its occupants about the meeting.


Chapter Eight
Connor & Zora's Bedroom

Zora came to a pause before the door to her bedroom, and her lips slowly
curled up into a brilliant smile. "Man, it's good to see your name back on our
door!" she exclaimed.

"It's wonderful to have it back there!" he told her fervently as he
picked her up in a great big hug. "It's even better to have you back in my arms
again!"

When he swept her up into his arms, he swept her into a Heaven she had
long been missing and aching for. She wrapped her own arms tightly around his
body and rested her head, for a brief moment, on his shoulder. She then pulled
back enough so that she could look at him. "I just don't see how," she said with
a shake of her blonde head, "I could get lucky enough for you all to understand,
for you, especially, to forgive me . . . It'd be hard enough to forgive me for
almost fucking somebody else, but my own Dad . . . " She shuddered at the horrid
memory, and a tremble passed through her leather-clad body.

"I can't say that I will always understand everything that happens where
you and your father are concerned, but I do know that you would never physically
choose him over me. We're soul mates, love." She didn't think her ears or heart
could have ever thrilled more at the sound of those words. "What your
Werecreatures do . . . Well, it's your Werecreatures. I don't hold you
responsible for them."

She was about to warn him that her Werecreatures were not separate
entities but a part of her, hidden just beneath the human surface, but he did
not give her a chance to. "I love you!" he exclaimed, pulling her even tighter
against his chest and pressing his lips gently to hers. As their lips met, the
kiss grew even harder. He could feel the passion flowing through his veins, and
her kiss enflamed him even more.

All words were suddenly forgotten as their kiss grew in passion and heat
more and more with each passing heartbeat. Their bodies clung so tightly
together that one looking upon them could not tell where she ended and he began.
Her hands drove up into his brown hair, her fingers threading through his curls,
and her tongue dipped into his mouth. Their mouths silenced their moans as their
tongues dueled.

A sudden clearing of a throat brought Connor's attention back to the
present time, and he glared angrily at his brother even though he didn't break
the kiss off. Frederic, who Zora chose to simply ignore, looked at Connor with a
sly grin. "At least get in your room, Connor! You have time, man; take her in
there! Make up for your lost time!"

Connor did not even pay his brother another look. He just fumbled for
his door and, carrying Zora, walked into their room and kicked the door shut.

Vang was grinning from ear to ear, and his head shook as a deep rumble
of laughter erupted from him. "I would have opened the door for them if I could
have reached it." His green eyes were dancing with happiness as he looked over
at Frederic. "Shall we go fetch a bite for breakfast, lad?"

"Sounds good to me, Vang!" Frederic would have liked to have put his arm
around Vang as a chum but didn't dare. He did, however, reach out and scratch
him between the ears; he was rewarded with a purr. "I wonder what they have
cooking down there?"

Vang sniffed deeply and closed his eyes in a sigh. "I smell bacon!"

"Mmm! Bacon!" Frederic breathed out. "Race ya!" He took off running,
hoping Vang didn't pass him.

Vang's laughter echoed through the house as he chased after the boy, his
striped tail cutting through the air. He was barely loping until they neared the
kitchen. It was only then that he actually broke into a run, but once his speed
was put on, he easily and swiftly outdistanced Frederic. His tail tapped the lad
as he passed him.

"Don't you eat all that bacon, Vang!" Frederic called after him.

"Then you'd best hurry up, hadn't you?" Vang shot a fang-filled grin
over his shoulder.

Frederic gave it all he could, but he still could not catch the tiger.
He came to a screeching halt in the kitchen and looked around. Others had
gathered in the kitchen and were eating, and right in the center of the table
were several big platters of bacon. Vang was already standing on his hind legs
and helping himself to one of the platters as Frederic grabbed a plate and
loaded it down.



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

Janeesa & Tessa's Bedroom

Janeesa had heard the others return and had ran gladly out into the
hall. Her keen eyes had quickly found both of the guys she was worried about,
and she ducked swiftly back into her room before they saw her looking. Tessa
looked up at Janeesa. "{{{Well?}}}"

"{{{They made it!}}}" Janeesa announced with a grin.

"{{{Wonderful! Now you just have to figure out which one you want the
most! You can't have both, little sister!}}}" Tessa teased with a smile.

Janeesa looked solemnly at Tessa. "{{{I don't know which one I want. Do
you want the other one?}}}"

"{{{I have seen no one of interest to me yet, but I haven't met the
whole crew yet.}}}"

It was then that a knock came on their door. Tessa walked over to open
it. "Yes?" she asked with a small smile on her face. Then her eyes connected
with the woman who stood before her, and it was all she could do to keep from
trembling. The luscious redhead before her was definitely a face she could get
used to seeing, and she was hard-pressed to keep Janeesa from knowing what she
was feeling! Not even her little sister had the slightest clue as to Tessa's
orientation, and the mermaid had every intention of keeping it that way.

Rachel's green eyes flickered over the lovely face before her. "I
haven't seen you around before." She had been scowling with frustration and
tiredness before the door had been answered, but now she smiled.

"I think you've met my sister, Janeesa." She opened the door even wider
so that Ray could see Janeesa.

"Hi, Ray!" Janeesa called to her and smiled. "It's good to see you
again! What's going on?"

"I've been elected," she said with a roll of her green eyes, "to be one
of those going around and letting people know about the meeting. There's a
meeting in a half hour in the family room. Do you two know where that is?"

"No." Janeesa looked at Ray in confusion. "We haven't been here that
long. Are we considered family?"

Tessa didn't say anything, but her green eyes had not left Ray's since
the first moment she saw her.

"That's not really for me to answer," Rachel replied, glancing back at
Tessa with a reassuring smile, "but the family room's where they hold all the
big meetings, any way. How about I come and get you when it's time?"

"Thank you," Tessa told her. "I'd appreciate that." She hoped that she
had not made any mistakes in her speech, but she was not as familiar with the
human language as Janeesa was. "See you . . . soon?" she spoke.

Rachel looked into Tessa's eyes. "Real soon," she agreed with a nod. Her
eyes slowly travelled the length of Tessa's lithe body, all the way down to her
bare feet, and she wondered what she looked like with her tail even as she raked
her gaze slowly back up her body. "Real soon," she repeated and winked. She
turned to leave.

When Tessa closed the door and turned around to look at Janeesa, Janeesa
was staring holes in her. Her mouth was already slightly agape before she found
her voice and exploded, "{{{Why didn't you tell me?! You're in bigger trouble
with Father than I am!}}}"

"{{{No,}}}" Tessa told her, "{{{he doesn't know. I never told him!}}}"

"{{{I'm not surprised! He would have made one Hell of a storm!}}}"

"{{{You're not supposed to say those words, Janeesa,}}}" Tessa warned.
"{{{Ursula might hear you.}}}"

At the mention of Ursula, Janeesa moved closer to her sister. She
clutched her tightly and looked around. "{{{I forgot! I thought she couldn't
hear us here?!}}}"

"{{{Unfortunately, my dear, Ursula can hear anything she wants to hear.
What's to say she's not listening to us this very minute?}}}"

"{{{What does she have to gain?}}}"

"{{{Who knows? Who knows what she wants?}}}" Tessa queried. She then
looked into her beloved sister's eyes and spoke softly, "{{{I would have told
you, but I didn't know how you'd take it.}}}"

Janeesa thought a moment. "{{{You always accepted me, Tessa, even though
I wanted to be with the humans. I would accept you with almost anything,
including that. Problem is, with Ray, she's in love with Kitty.}}}"

"{{{Kitty? Who's Kitty?}}}" Tessa questioned.

"{{{Well, Kitty's in love with Kurt.}}}"

"{{{Wait a minute. Ray's in love with Kitty but Kitty's in love with
Kurt? Who's in love with Ray?}}}"

"{{{Nobody. Poor girl! She's all alone, and she thinks no one else
knows! You might be just what she needs, big sister, to get her mind off of that
Captain Kitty, and maybe if she gets her mind off of Captain Kitty, Kitty will
get back with Kurt.}}}"

"{{{So you're not upset that I'm interested in a human girl?}}}"

"{{{No,}}}" Janeesa told her. "{{{I stand behind you. Go get her, big
sis, but be careful! Know that her heart's entangled with Captain Kitty.}}}"

"{{{She didn't impress me that way,}}}" Tessa told her sister with a big
grin. "{{{She looked me up and down like I was something good to eat! Maybe I
can interest her a little more after the meeting? I'm sure gonna give it a
shot!}}}" She winked at Janeesa. "{{{You're the one with the problem. You've got
two golden males, and you've got to pick one before another one shows up!}}}"



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

The Hallway

As Ororo walked through the halls of the house that were now rather
quiet other than the occasional call of information concerning the meeting, she
contemplated the situation she was being faced with. Most of the group would
come to the meeting with little to no difficulty, but there were going to be a
number of pains, as well. Wolverine and Cole could help with Will and Brendan,
if they chose to bugger, but Smee was going to be quite a problem. If she used
Cole and Wolverine for the other two, she'd need some one else to help her with
Smee, either Kurt or Kitty. Kurt would go placantly enough along -- after all,
hadn't the meeting originally been James' and his idea? -- but Kitty might prove
to be difficult as well. If she was, she'd need a telepath for that one for no
one, not even Logan or herself, would stand a chance of catching her if she
phased.

As she approached the kitchen, Ororo changed her topic of scheming. The
meeting would come soon, but in the meantime, she had to get the Chinese cook
away from his boss, her goddaughter. She stepped into the kitchen with a warm,
calm smile but did not go more than three steps inside. "Chong, I need to see
you in private, please."

Piper looked up from where she had been fixing plates of cold food that
she'd get one of the dragons to reheat when the time for the meeting came. She
wondered what in the world her godmother could possibly want with Chong but
wasn't about to ask. Her eyes flicked questioningly over to him, and she saw
that he was as surprised as she.

Chong followed 'Ro meekly out of the kitchen, feeling certain that he
was in trouble though he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what he was
supposed to have done. When he got outside, he questioned in a tone far braver
than he felt, "What do you want with me? Why do you take me away from my duties?
I should not be shirking them."

Ororo arched a single eyebrow at Chong. "Your duties are to do as my
goddaughter commands you; if I have need of you, she'd give you to me freely
with no hesitation. If you doubt that, my friend, stick your head back in and
ask her yourself."

"No; I just don't want to shirk my duties."

"The people that have been here all morning are well-fed. For those of
us who were in the fight, we will eat soon enough, most likely at the meeting.
Have you heard of the meeting?"

"Yes," he nodded, "but I do not know why it is being held or why I am to
attend."

"Quite a number of the people in this household are being faced with
difficulties they refuse to discuss; as long as discussion remains impossible, a
solution, also, remains impossible. The meeting will be to discuss all problems
and come to solutions, hopefully happy ones. Every one will attend."

"It does not matter; it will not solve the problem. How can we talk
freely of the problem in front of others? It is embarrassing!"

"It will be arranged, my friend. Besides, I already know well of your
problem, and I . . . " Her eyes met his. "I have an offer for you, but you must
speak of this to no one."

He wondered what in the world she could have to offer him that would
help his situation. "I swear I will not speak of it to any one. If you truly
have something to help me, I will gladly take it for I fear that I can not take
another day listening to Derek cry and having Hansel run away! He has to choose!
He can not have both of us; it simply does not work that way!"

"I have access to Hansel in a way that will prevent him from being able
to run from you. I will grant you this access if you will, in turn, do something
for me."

"I'll do anything, Miss Ororo, if it will give me so much as just one
minute alone with Hansel for he runs swifter than a fox and I am not able to
catch him!"

"He is yours to be caught," Ororo informed him slyly, "and the catching
will be as easy as that of a ship's cat catching an infant mouse. Let us first,
however, discuss what you will do in turn."

He stared at her in amazement. "How can this be? How can you so easily
deliver him to me?"

"You shall soon see." She raised her hand, glanced around the hallway,
and, once she was certain no one was around, opened her fingers. "When the
meeting time comes, I am certain Piper will have drinks ready, as well as the
food she was putting upon those plates for reheating. I want you to take this
and mix half each in Will's and Faith's drinks. Make certain they receive them.
It will not harm them, but it will help a great deal in fixing their problems.
Are you aware of their situations?"

"Unfortunately. I am not able to help either of them. Young Dawson, I
feel badly for him. Faith can be a cold-hearted bitch, but she is wrong in this.
I have heard Dawson cry many a night and wish there was something I could do to
help him. As for as the Captain, I tried to coax him out from underneath the bed
to eat; I do not think he's eaten anything in days. I finally gave up on him,
because the food was never touched. The man has solely lived on rum. I will do
what I can to help both of them."

"That shall stop this day," Ororo spoke confidently in reference to her
son living on rum. "Jack has already been pulled out from underneath his bed and
is well on the way of . . . being cleaned. Will's and Faith's problems are
actually quite a bit similar. They have both been on the run from their loves as
they feel they are letting them down due to their inability to . . . please
them. This will give them that ability to the utmost."

"I will speak of this to no one, and you can count on me, Miss Ororo.
They'll never know what hit them!" He pocketed the plants. "I will need to grind
them up into fine powders or they will be able to detect something in their
food." He smiled at her as he headed back into the kitchen.

"Chong?" Ororo called to his retreating back. "The meeting is not for
another twenty-five minutes. When you have a chance, go up to Jack's bedroom;
you will find your answer awaiting you upon the bed." She stuck her hand in her
pocket and brought out a key. "Take this with you, but be sure you leave that
which is not yours . . . secured." She smiled. "You'll see what I mean when you
reach there."

Chong could hardly wait until he had mixed the plants. Then wrapping
them in small pieces of cloth, he deposited one in each pocket. He would put
them in each drink as he delivered them to their unsuspecting targets. Then he
walked slowly out of the kitchen, never once having told Piper what was going
on, and continued up the stairs to the Captain's bedroom.

Entering cautiously, he looked around and there, to his great surprise,
he found Hansel cuffed to Faith. Was he passed out? Hansel did not move, and
Chong's curiosity grew like a cat's. He crept steathily upon him, and when
Hansel still did not move, Chong very quickly released his love from the cuff
that was attached to Faith and hooked it to his own wrist. Then he hooked
Hansel's feet cuffs to Faith's hand and tied her to the bed.

A huge grin lit up Chong's face as he gazed back down at Hansel. He did
not know how Ororo had managed to chain the two of them, let alone lay them out,
but he would be eternally grateful for the gift she had just given him. His
heart swelled, and he felt like singing. Hansel was his, just as he always
should have been!


Chapter Nine
Brendan's Bedroom

The donkey's large eyes watched as the man paced nervously up and down
throughout the small room. He came to rest, from time to time, on the bed or
chair but never remained for long. Indeed, it seemed that he'd barely lit upon
the surface before he was up and circling again, writhing his hands that had
once been strong and tanned but now looked weak and pale.

Eddie slowly shook his head from side to side as he watched his boy, his
heart breaking for him. He had tried several methods to cheer him up, but
nothing seemed to work. A little while ago, he'd even darted up to him, stood on
his hind hooves, put his front hooves on his chest, and suggested that they go
for a walk and see what they could get into before the meeting. Will had merely
pushed him away as though he meant nothing to him, which -- Eddie sniffed -- he
didn't compared to Jack.

Jack, who didn't deserve his Will and never had. If the man wanted Will,
his boy should be the most important thing to him in the whole world. Neither
his ship nor his rum nor even his family should mean more to Jack than Will did,
but Eddie was convinced that wasn't the case. After all, when they had been
together, though the time had been far too short, Jack had almost always had
something else on his mind.

And yet it was Will who blamed himself for what had happened, Eddie
knew, though it had never been the boy's fault. He couldn't help what had
happened to him. It wasn't his fault that Anamaria had decided to use them to
get to Jack, who was the only one she was really after. It wasn't his fault
they'd came so close to death's door that eventful night, nor was it his fault
now that the fear and memories kept him from being able to arise.

Eddie cocked his head, examining the thing hiding behind Will's pants.
He still couldn't believe he could never get it up again. True, it had been
completely destroyed, sliced and diced into many small pieces, but Willow had
healed it before she'd been killed by Frostbite. He shuddered at the mere memory
of the monster and thanked his Gods yet again that Frostbite was finally dead
for good.

Donkey's thoughts shattered when Will turned to him with big, sad eyes
and announced, "I can't do it, Eddie. I just can't do it! I can't face him!"

"You have to."

"I can't! It'll come out all over again! Besides, he doesn't want to see
me; he doesn't even want to look at me! He never showed up during the battle
where we were, but he was there the whole time! He doesn't want to see me!"

"Of course he wants to see you! He wants to do more than just look at
you!"

"Even if that's the case, I can't do it! I can't do anything that he
wants, that he deserves! He's better off without me; I need to just take myself
out of the picture!"

Eddie gave Will a long, strange look as he pondered what exactly might
be running through his boy's mind this time. "How?" he finally asked, but before
Will could answer, an urgent knock sounded upon their door.

"Go away," Will shot at the door.

"I absolutely will not go away, William Turner! Now open this door at
once; we must talk!"

Will sighed; his head hung. "I'm not in the mood, Elizabeth."

"I don't care if you're in the mood! You're going to listen!" Her voice
began to rise with each new word spoken. "If I have to shout it at the top of my
lungs, you are going to listen! Just because YOU CAN'T DO IT -- "

"TELL THE WHOLE WORLD, WHY DON'T YOU?!" Will shouted indignantly.

"If I must!"

Eddie slanted his eyes at the rattling door, and then his mouth fell
open as the door pushed open. He looked quickly back over at Will, who wore a
similarly shocked expression. They knew that door had been locked!

Elizabeth shrugged at their open mouths and bugged eyes. She smiled at
them as she shut the door behind her and repocketed her pick. "While you tw -- "
She stopped, glanced at the bathroom door where she could hear a shower running,
and rephrased, " -- three have been hiding in here, I've been learning the
tricks of the trade." She grinned. "I always knew I'd make a good Piratess."

"Elizabeth," Will glanced at the door where the shower was now stopping,
"you shouldn't be in here!"

"Why? You think he's going to eat me or something?"

"It's likely!"

"I'll take my chances," she replied with a slight smirk. Her brown eyes
narrowed in on the man she'd considered to be her blacksmith for years. "I'm
here to talk sense into you, and I'm not leaving until I have."



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

Jack's Bedroom

Hansel groaned as he began to stir. His body throbbed from where Faith
had struck him numerous times in her attempts to break free before finally
passing out herself. "Damn, Faith!" he moaned in complaint. "That hurt!"

Chong pulled gently on the cuff, and Hansel's eyes flashed open as he
realized that he was no longer cuffed to Faith. "How the Hell did you get in
here?!" he asked. He did not recognize the harshness that exploded in his voice,
but he knew where the fear came from.

Chong just grinned, bobbed his head, and dragged Hansel off with him,
leaving Faith on the bed alone. "Serves ya right, blondie!" Faith, who had come
to some time before, shot at Hansel. She had remained still only because she had
known what Chong was there for. She had attempted to kick him when he'd moved
the cuffs from her feet, but he had caught her foot and held her stubbornly
still. "And you better watch your ass, China man, 'cause I'm gonna carve out a
piece of it!" She caught the look on Hansel's face and relented just a tad where
her "brother" was concerned. "An' if ya hurt him, I'll tear out yer heart an'
choke ya on it!"

Hansel glared at Chong, his glare hiding his true worry. "How the Hell
did you know, and why do you have me cuffed? Are we getting kinky?" He could
only hope.

"You, me. We talking. No more running for you," Chong told Hansel. "Not
worried about you, Faith," he called back. "You can't get up from there!" He
headed out the door, pulling Hansel along behind him.

"I ain't up from here yet, but when I am, yer damn, scurvy ass is the
first one on my list! I'm gonna cut me some yellow meat!"

Hansel did not call back at Faith for he knew she'd never truly hurt
Chong unless he hurt him and Chong would never do that. As far back as their
relationship went, he had always been the one to hurt him. She might hit him or
even kick him, but she'd never do any lasting damage to the man she knew he
loved. He hung his head as he followed behind Chong, scuffing his feet upon the
floor. How in the world was he going to explain the situation? As they passed a
room, he looked up with sad eyes. He could hear Derek crying within and started
to reach out to the door, but Chong snatched him forward before he could do
anything.

"You making a choice today, Hansel: Derek or me. The other one has to
find some one else. I want you to pick me, of course, but you are making a
decision one way or the other." He kept dragging him until they were down to
their room. "We have a meeting to go to, and by the time we go to the meeting,
you'd best have your mind made up as to your answer. No more funny business; no
more kinky stuff. Make your choice. Pick one; let the other one go."

Hansel began to whine and whimper. Slowly, he looked up from underneath
his shaggy, blonde bangs with the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes he could
manage.

"Don't give me those puppy dog eyes!" Chong told him before Hansel's
hands could come to completion with the doghouse above his head. "It will not
work this time! I have had it up to here!" he exclaimed, making a motion at his
throat. "You will choose!" He waited for Hansel to reply. He tried to think
positively and not dread the answer that would come.

"Well, first of all, let me just say, in my own defense, that no matter
what you've heard, I haven't been doing any kinky stuff. The last kinky stuff I
did was with you." He smiled, but his lips quivered.

"And you're going to tell me you didn't do any kinky stuff with Derek,
that you haven't done anything since you've been with me? I find that hard to
believe!"

"Aw, man!" Hansel whined, looking away and toward the floor with a shake
of his head. "I knew this was gonna happen! It's not my fault Derek lived! I
didn't say hey, Derek, come back to life; I changed my mind again! Man, I'm not
wishy washy like that! I don't know why I chose Derek the first time; I wasn't
in my right mind! And I didn't tell Faith to run off to Tortuga to cut herself
either!"

"And you're gonna tell me you went off to Tortuga to stop Faith from
hurting herself and didn't even tell me where you were going? And you're going
to also tell me that you haven't been with Derek since he's been back?"

"Yes, I was in Tortuga to control Faith! Not that anybody can actually
do that, but you know what I mean. I kept her drunk, and I kept her company.
That kept her from cutting herself, and if you don't believe that's what she was
working at, go back to Jack's room, move her hair around, and look at her
forehead and right near her ear. I forget if it was the left or the right one,
but the marks are there!"

"And I know the whole reunion underwater scene looked bad and all, but
no, I haven't been with Derek since he's been back! I know he's hurting and he's
sad, and I hate that I make him feel like that but I don't want to go back to
him either!" He looked up at Chong from underneath his shaggy bangs, and his
blue eyes were moist with tears. "Man, I don't want Derek! If I wanted Derek, I
wouldn't have been pushing him off when he was kissing me!" He fought to keep
from lingering on that memory: the passionate kisses that Derek had tried to
coat him in, the needy grasping of his hands, the heart-broken look in his eyes
and face when he had pushed him away . . . "It's you I want; it's you I love!"
He sniffed.

Chong reached out and pulled Hansel close. He pressed his lips to his.
"I wanted to hear that very much, baby. I needed to hear that. So why is . . .
Why does Derek cry? Because you told him no? We can ship him back home very
easily. Phillip can take him right back to Tortuga; he can start getting his
life back together."

"I . . . " Hansel looked away. "I sort of haven't actually told him
yet."

"Don't you think you should?" Chong asked, not releasing his hold on
Hansel.

"I know I should," Hansel told him sadly, "but I just don't know how. It
would've been one thing if we'd gotten back together while he was still alive,
but this . . . It's gonna look like I was waiting for him to kick off so that I
could jump back in the bed with you. And I don't wanna hurt him any more than I
already have."

"Just tell him the truth. Break it to him gently. I'll let you go in
there so that you can tell him, if it'll get him to be quiet, but I'm not
leaving his door and you better come out or I'm calling Ororo."

Hansel cocked his head slightly to one side and gave Chong a strange
look. Did he really want to know what Ororo had to do with any of this?



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

Kat's Bedroom

"{{{Kat, ye can't be serious!}}}" the elderly tomcat exclaimed the
moment the redhead pulled a trunk out from inside her closet.

"I'm completely serious, Capt'n! Why di ye t'ink I went tae buy this?"

"{{{I hoped it 'twas fer when we leave this dinosaur-infested
island!}}}"

"Well'n, ye're in luck, 'cause it is."

"{{{But ye should be leavin' wit' Ace, nae jest the two o' us!}}}"

Kat slammed the trunk down onto the bed; her emerald eyes turned to
blaze furiously down at Captain. "VENTURA 'N' I'RE THROUGH! WHAT PART O' THAT
DIN'T YE UNDERSTAND?! THE WAY YE ALWAYS AGREED WIT' GRANDPA, YE SHOULD BE
T'INKIN' I'M MAKIN' TH' RIGHT DECISION 'BOUT NOW!"

"{{{Ye're in love, Kat, an' ye should be wit' the one ye're in love
wit'!}}}"

"I can nae be!"

"{{{Why?!}}}"

"He does nae approve!"

"{{{What di ye mean he does nae approve? Whate'er ye saw in that trial
'twas nae him, nae th' real him! 'Twould've been impossible fer it to be! He's
been dead fer years, an' even the Council din't ressurect the dead!}}}"

"But it makes sense, Capt'n!" she exclaimed with a sigh as she flopped
down onto the bed.

"{{{What makes sense, sweetheart?}}}" he asked, padding across the bed
to reach her side. He placed a gentle paw over her hand as he rubbed against
her. "{{{That he'd nae want ye tae be happy?!}}}"

"Nae. He . . . " She sighed and closed her eyes against the pain. "I'm
distracted when I'm wit' Ace. Me first responsibility was tae the animals we
had, but me first thought when we were bein' attacked was tae get Ace oot o' the
stitch. If'n I'd nae been payin' so bloody much attention tae him, we
wouldn't've lost so many!" A single tear trailed down her cheek.

{{{Oh, Kat, darlin'! Tha' 'tisn't the truth! How many times would ye
ha'e died if'n nae fer Ace? How many times would I ha'e died?}}}

"Sometimes I wish I was dead, Capt'n, an' this 'tis one o' 'em. If I
'twas dead, we would nae be havin' this conversation, an' Ace would nae matter.
I should'a died when Grandpa died. Then this ne'er would ha'e happened an' he
ne'er would'a disowned me." More tears fell down her face.

{{{It 'twas nae him in the trial, Kathleen! Yer Grandfather would've
liked Ace! He wanted the best fer ye -- }}}

"Well, Ventura certainly 'tis nae the best! Nae human 'tis! An' ye can
try tae feed me all the garbage ye like, Capt'n, but I'm nae buyin' it! I'm
through liein' ta meself an' I'm done failin' in me cause! I'm giin' back home
an' I'm turnin' me life back tae what it was an' ne'er should'a stopped bein'!"
She dried her tears with her fists, angrily bit back the remainder of the
moisture that shone in her emerld eyes, jumped to her feet, and returned to
fiercely packing.



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

Brendan's Bedroom

"You are going to the meeting, William Turner, and I will not take no
for an answer!"

"I can't go to the meeting! If I go to the meeting, I have to face him,
and I can't face him!"

"Why can't you face him?" Elizabeth demanded. "Because you had a fight?
All couples fight, Will, but no fight is worth giving up on -- "

"I can't because I can't please him, all right?!"

Elizabeth looked at Will; she studied him through narrowed eyes. "What
do you mean you can't please him?"

"I can't give him what he deserves!"

"What do you mean you can't give him what he deserves? Will, you are a
wonderful man! Any woman, or man, would be lucky to have you!"

"No, they wouldn't not now, not ever again! Jack deserves better, much
better than I can ever give him again!"

"Will, what are you talking about? You're not dying!" Sudden fear showed
upon her wide-eyed face. "Are you?" she breathed shakily.

"No, but I wish I had!"

"Don't talk like that!"

"Why not? It's how I feel!"

"What happened between you two to make you think all of this?! It was
only one night, Will! One night! Even Toly has trouble on rare occasion! I
haven't seen it yet, but I've heard him talking . . . "

"It wasn't just one night, Elizabeth! It's forever!"

"What makes you think that? Have you . . . Have you had it checked out
yet?"

"It's intact," he told her, a deep crimson staining his cheeks. "It's
healed. It's perfectly well, according to Brendan. It just won't work!"

"Why?"

"HOW AM I TO KNOW?!"

"Well, it's your . . . " She gestured toward the offending area. " . . .
you know!" She blushed.

Will sighed. He turned, sank onto the bed, and buried his face in his
hands. "I just can't, okay!?! Now leave me alone!"

Eddie, whose head had been moving back and forth while watching the two
debate, moved close to Will and placed a hoof gently on his boy's shoulder.

Elizabeth knelt before Will and took his hands in hers; he was surprised
at the strength she broke his grip apart with. She gazed up into his eyes.
"Will, I have never left you. I didn't leave you when I first found you dying. I
didn't leave you when I found out you had lied to me. I didn't even leave you
when I found out you were in love with a man, the great Captain Jack Sparrow who
I myself had once fantasized about even, or when our lives got as crazy as they
are now."

"I have never left you, and I never will, not as long as I'm living. I
love you, Will. Not the way you love Jack or the way I love Autolycus, but you
are my brother and I do love you. I will not leave you," she slowly shook her
head, keeping direct eye contact with him the entire time, "and I will help you
to solve this problem."

"But you have to tell me what's going on. Is this all really because you
can't sleep with Jack?"

He nodded mutely, tears streaming down his pale, thinned cheeks.
Elizabeth couldn't believe how badly Will looked now. The man was skin and
bones, yet she knew he'd had access to food. She had seen to that for she had
been the one to tell Piper where Will, Brendan, and Eddie were holed up and get
her to promise to bring them food and she knew that Piper would never break her
promise. He must not have been eating, she realized, despite the food being
delivered. She wondered if the same held true for Brendan but knew that Eddie
would never pass up food, although . . . He'd also never let Will get away with
not eating. "Eddie," Elizabeth questioned suddenly, looking inquiringly over at
the donkey, "has Will been eating?"

"Yeah, he's been eating. We've been making him."

"We?"

Elizabeth looked up as the bathroom door opened and Brendan stepped out,
still fiercely drying his shaggy, brown hair with a thick towel. He stopped in
the doorway and stared at the blonde before finding his tongue. "What are you
doing here? You shouldn't be in here!" He was thankful he'd had the forethought
to get dressed in the bathroom this time.

"Well, I am here, and I'm staying until I've properly talked sense into
Will. Has he been eating?"

"Yes," Brendan told her, his eyes going to Will's puny body. "It must be
his depression that's done this to him; it is quite possible."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully as she turned her gaze back to Will.
"We'll get you back up, somehow," she told him, still unconvinced that he'd been
eating properly, "but that can wait. Making physical love isn't everything,
Will."

"He tried to feed me the same line the first night I failed him," Will
exclaimed, "and maybe it isn't everything but it's still important! He deserves
some one who can please him, who can make him happy!"

"But you can make him happy. All you have to do to do that is to go to
him and confess your love for him!"

"But he needs to move on and find somebody else, find somebody who
deserves him and can make him happy, give him pleasure, and keep him that way!"

She sighed. "You just can't see past the whole . . . " She searched for
a polite way to put it. " . . . unable to rise to it thing, can you?"

He shook his head. "I love him, Elizabeth, with all my heart, all my
soul! I want him to be happy, and I can't give him that happiness, not any more
and never again . . . " A deep, trembling sigh raked his body.

"Why?" she questioned. "What makes you so sure that you'll never be able
to . . . get up again?"

"You . . . " He lowered his head and closed his eyes in shame. "You
don't know what happened . . . "

"Then tell me. Help me to understand, Will," she pleaded, "so that I can
help you."

"There is no help for me."

"But why?"

Will opened his eyes. His gaze rose above Elizabeth to where Brendan was
standing not quite as far off as Will had expected he would be. He had dropped
his towel now so that it hung over his bare shoulder. He didn't have the answers
that Will sought, however; Will could tell that easily from the large hands that
Brendan held spread apart and palms up. He shook his head slowly, and Will
looked back to Elizabeth. "I'm not ready," he told her, "to talk about it
again."

"Eddie?" Liz asked softly, looking pleadingly up at the donkey.

Eddie looked at Will. He knew why his boy wouldn't tell her. He also
knew Will really didn't want to talk about it, but if Elizabeth could help . . .
"The bitch cut it off!" he exclaimed, swinging his head to look back at Liz.

Elizabeth gasped; her hands flew to her open mouth. She looked at Will
with large eyes filling with tears. "I-I-I . . . " She shook her head, too
stunned to speak at first, and when she finally found her voice again, she told
him, "I knew it was bad. I knew you were almost killed, but I never would have
thought . . . "

Will nodded slowly, his face even paler and more tears in his eyes.
"That's what happened. That . . . and . . . and . . . mo-more . . . "

"Oh, Will!" She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "You poor
baby!"

He wanted to cling to Elizabeth, who had almost always granted him a
safe haven, but he knew it would not help anything. His arms went stiffly around
her shaking body. "So you see now why I can't . . . you know?"

She nodded and pulled back. "But that doesn't mean you're hopeless, and
it still doesn't mean that you can't give him pleasure."

"How can I possibly give him that kind of pleasure, Elizabeth, when it
won't work?"

"There's a . . . " She blushed, lowered her head, and tucked a stray
strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "There's a method called a . . . a
blowjob." She ignored the shutting of the door as Brendan returned quickly to
the bathroom. "You could do that; it'd grant him pleasure. It doesn't require
your . . . you know . . . just your mouth, tongue, teeth . . . "

Will's mouth fell open. A slow grin chased across his face. "I never
would've thought of that, but you're right! He can just lay back and let me give
him pleasure!"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, trying to grin, with a nod. "And it is possible
that he could work on you until he gave you so much pleasure that it actually
worked, and then I've also heard of some kind of African weed -- at least I
think it's African -- that's supposed to help. And there are other herbs that
are supposed to make people really, really . . . " She blushed even deeper. " .
. . excited. If you get excited enough, maybe, just maybe, it'd work again."

She grasped his wrists and looked back up into his face. "But, Will, the
most important thing is that you love Jack and he loves you."

"You're right, but . . . " His grin vanished; his face paled even more.
"What if I fail him again?"

"If you refuse to try," Liz told him, "you fail the both of you. Let me
help, and I promise I won't stop until I find a way for you to please him and
the two of you to be happy together." She searched his deep, brown eyes that
were so filled with anguish and heartbreak that they broke her own heart.
"Okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Okay."

"First thing on the agenda," she said, straightening and wrinkling her
nose at him, "get a bath and wash your whole body extremely thoroughly. Really,
Will, when was the last time you took a bath?"

He had to pause and search his jumbled memory for the answer. "About a
month ago? It was before our last fight." He trembled at the memory but, for the
first time in a long time, fought his tears.

"Hit that shower; I'll get you some clothes."



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

Derek's Bedroom

They were standing just outside Derek's door when Chong released Hansel,
who was already staring at the door as though it was the gate to Hell. "You have
five minutes, and if you do not come out of there within that time, I am going
in to get you."

"I-I'm not ready yet!"

"Well, when will you be ready?! You have to do it today, the sooner, the
better!"

"I-I don't know what to say, ho-how to say it!"

"You've never been at a loss for words before." Chong looked at him, his
almond eyes showing his suspicion. "Never, in the entire time I have known you,
have you ever kept your mouth shut! Just go in there and tell him the truth!
Free him so that he can get on with his life, or do you want me to leave and let
you have him? You are lying to me, or you will tell him the truth! Which is it?"

Hansel hung his head like a whipped pup. Though he did not want to hurt
Derek, he could not stand the thought of losing Chong again. He would rather
have his heart cut out than lose his love. "I'll do it." He stepped to the door
but moved no further.

"What's it going to take, Hansel?" Chong demanded. "Do I need to go in
there with you so that you can tell him?"

"N-No! I'd like to have you with me, but that'd make it more
embarrassing for him." He reached for the knob of the door with a shaking hand.

"If you need me, I'll be right here," Chong assured him.

Hansel slowly opened the door and stepped barely an inch inside the
room. "D-Derek?" he whispered. Maybe, as things had grown quiet, he had cried
himself to sleep? Could he be that lucky?

"You're not coming out of there until you tell him!" Chong hissed and
pulled the door closed behind Hansel.

Hansel jumped despite himself as the sound of the door shutting echoed
in the room. He edged slowly further in, still not even going as far as two
feet. "D-Derek?" he called again, his eyes nervously raking the room.

Derek sat up. "H-H-Hansel?" he asked in a quivering voice. Hansel's
heart broke at the sight of his pale face streaked with tears and the red eyes
the peered anxiously at him despite the large, dark circles just beneath them.
Derek rubbed his eyes and looked again. "You've come at last!" he nearly
screamed the words in joy but then his face fell again. "I thought you didn't
want me any more?" He was choking on his own tears. "I survived everything just
because I thought you wanted me! I got back here, and you didn't! Why have you
not come to me before now?"

Hansel stole a look back at the door, hating the fact that he knew Chong
was standing just behind it, probably with his ear pressed to the door and
straining to hear every word that was said. "I . . . I've been in Tortuga,
k-keeping Faith from c-cutting herself." He was trying desperately to look at
anywhere but Derek. He could hear the pain in his voice, and it cut him straight
to his heart.

"Is Faith okay?" He couldn't wait for an answer. "Come hold me," Derek
pleaded from where he now sat on the edge of the bed. He could hardly wait to
feel Hansel's strong arms go around him; his embrace was the only place where he
had ever truly felt safe or loved. "It's been awful here, all alone! I called
for you, but you didn't come! I thought you didn't want me any more!"

Hansel trembled with the effort it took him to keep from crying. His
chest ached; it felt as though his heart was slowly shattering. He would have
done anything to get away from this moment, to keep from having to let Derek go,
but there was nothing he could do. It was either Derek or Chong; he couldn't
have them both. "D-Derek, I-I have to tell you s-something . . . "

"Yes, baby? Oh, I missed you so much!" Unable to wait any longer, Derek
rushed to Hansel, threw his arms around him, and pulled him close. "I'm so glad
you're here that I can hardly believe it!"

Hansel found himself holding Derek before he even knew what had
happened. He buried his face in his shoulder and breathed in his scent. He could
feel Derek trembling against him, and his own body trembled even more in
response. How could he do this to Derek? How could he tell him he no longer
loved him, no longer wanted him when, in truth, he did? But how could he tell
Chong he no longer loved him or wanted him when he loved and wanted him as much
as he did Derek? His silent tears wet Derek's shoulder through the thin fabric
of his shirt. Maybe he could talk to him? Maybe he'd somehow understand?

Derek felt Hansel's tears the moment they started flowing, and tears
began to fall from his face too. He hugged him more tightly, laid his face
against his shoulder, and deeply inhaled his manly scent. "It's okay, love," he
reassured him. "It's all right now. We're together, and nothing's going to break
us apart again!"

Hansel didn't answer Derek. How could he tell him that he had come to
break up with him? How could he break up with him when his feelings for him had
not changed or lessened in the least? He still loved Derek, but he also loved
Chong! He had to choose, but how could he?!

He raised his head and looked toward Derek's window. It opened to a
balcony. The first sign of hope! Thinking the whole time of what he was doing to
Chong and what he might yet have to do to Derek, Hansel pressed his lips to the
side of Derek's head and then stepped back out of his arms. Quickly, he locked
the door, grabbed Derek's hand, and led him out to the balcony.

"Where are we going?" Derek queried innocently. "And why'd you lock the
door? Afraid some one's going to come in on us?"

"Yes," Hansel admitted, glancing nervously back at the door and wishing
there was a way to lock the door to the balcony on the side they were on. As it
was, he'd drawn the curtains behind them when he stepped out. "Derek, I . . . "
He looked at him with teary eyes. "I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't love
you, but . . . but something happened when I . . . when I believed you were dead
and . . . and now I'm totally confused! I don't know what the Hell I'm doing any
more!" he cried.

Derek looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"I . . . I found out I'd repressed some feelings. And now I can't get
rid of them. But I still love you too!"

Sudden realization of what was happening and had already happened paled
Derek's thin face even more. Shadows crept into his look as his fury built.
"It's Chong, ain't it?" Derek demanded icily. Then, with heat, he exclaimed,
pointing a finger back in emphasis, "Chong's on the other side of that door!"

Chong had been pacing impatiently up and down outside Derek's room,
finally tried the door, and found it was locked. Fury and fear boiled within
him, but he refused the latter, chosing instead to let the first flow. He beat
upon the door with both fists. "Hansel, your five minutes are up! I'm coming in
there!" He leaned his shoulder into the door and hit it with his full weight.

He bounced off the door and looked at it in astnoishment. He ran at it,
kicked it, and, again, bounced off. "It's not fair!" he cried in exasparation.
"'Ro said I could have you! Damn it, I let you go! You're gonna get away from
me, and damn you for wanting to leave me!!! I can't let that happen!" He hit the
door again, but it did not weild.

How could he even want to leave him? Chong wondered, trying desperately
not to cry. Had he only wanted to toy with him while Derek was gone, but then
why lie to him and say he still loved him when he had no intentions of staying
with him? "Ni xin tai hei le!"

"My heart is not black!" Hansel protested. "If it was, it wouldn't hurt
so badly!" Did he really think he did not love him, that he was only using him?
How else could he think his heart was black? It was only his anger, Hansel tried
to tell himself, spitting words out of his mouth like a dragon belching fire.

Derek's eyes grew big. "Chong's trying to beat his way in here! He'll
kill me for I've stolen you from him! I won't let him have you; I'll fight him!"
He stalked purposefully back into the room and to the locked door.

"DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!" Hansel yelled before he could stop himself. He
barely made it to the door before Derek could reach it and sprawled himself
across it to keep Derek from opening it.

The harder Chong tried to get into the door and the more he failed, the
angrier he became. He beat on the door loudly enough to wake the dead, using
both fists and feet. "HANSEL, YOU OPEN THAT DOOR RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

"Chong, I'm not done!" Hansel called back, trying to keep his voice
even. "This isn't an easy thing to talk about, and you're making it harder!"

"UNLOCK THIS DAMN DOOR NOW, HANSEL, OR I'LL GET SOMEBODY WHO CAN BREAK
IT DOWN! YOU'VE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME!"

"What's he talking about?" Derek questioned in a quivering voice,
looking back at Hansel with fresh tears in his eyes. "I thought you'd come back
to me, and he thinks you're with him?" He looked up at Hansel's face, anger
making his face red. How could he do this to him?! "Choose now, damn it! Which
one of us do you want?!"

"Don't you see?" Hansel whispered urgently to Derek. "I'm screwed! I
didn't mean for this to happen, but I'm in love with you both!"

As that knowledge sank into Derek's mind, his hand reached out and
unlocked the door just in time for Chong's fist to connect with his nose.


To Be Continued . . .

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