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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry this is essentially a week late. It just felt unfinished. I don't know what else to say.
Captain Rayne found himself in an unusual situation.

A lovely young woman, whom he’d oddly felt an instant attraction to, was now in control of whether he lived or died. And he was quite sure she didn’t care either way. In a dull, numb voice he confirmed what was painfully evident now. “I’ll presume you are not lost women, in need of assistance then?”

“That wouldn’t be quite right,” Faith nodded over to Xander. “Zeppo, I think I could use some of that assistance.”

“Already on it.” He said and tossed her a length of rope she deftly caught just before it hit the captive captain in the face. “Nice catch.” Xander said with a grin.

“Thanks.” Faith grinned and began tying the man’s hands behind him, always careful to keep the knife at the ready. It was a slow procedure but as she finished she saw all the crew of her ship had been able to secure their prisoners as well.

The grumbling prisoners were gathered around masts and in short order they were all bound by Larry, who’s large size was never really hidden within the confines of his burgundy frock.

Buffy came up last, watching as Lindsey was tied up next to his captain. “I always say a captain and his first mate should be able to depend on each other. You get tired sir,” She directed her comment to Ethan, “He could always tell you a story. He has a very soothing voice.” She winked at Lindsey and turned in a swirl of blue to her crew.

“Zeppo?” She asked and stopped in front of the group arms crossed..

He nodded to her, his imaginary curls bouncing against his face. “All set. Woods is bringing his along. Seems this one wasn’t exactly what you might call a gentleman.”

The Slayer crinkled her brow and then saw the motion to her left and watched as Woods, in all his yellow silk elegance, drag a man by the arm and tossed him towards the rest of the bound compliment. “Teach you to get personal with a lady.” He seemed to be continuing a tirade long ago started. “And you dare to name yourself as a gentleman?”

For the ‘gentleman’s’ part, he seemed to have been scared enough at some point to let his bladder go. His trousers a shade darker between his legs and a wide eyed fearful expression covering his red face. He was jabbering something that just couldn’t be made out with the amounts of spittle pushing it’s way forward between his lips and flying from his tongue.

Buffy took note that no blood had been shed. Both her man and the urinating wonder were without wounds, but apparently Woods and his high standing bun had been insulted.

Once the wayward crewmate had secured his personal sailor to a mast he joined the group who were all leveling an unusual gaze at him. Woods on his part stood in his place, a bright white toothed grin now gleaming back at his crewmates.

“What?” He asked in honest innocence. “He tried to,” He took a deep breath and let his shoulders slump. “He mentioned something about kissing a Nubian beauty.” His eyes closed and a definite cold chill caused him to shiver.

Faith passed her way towards her man. “Gotta say, even like this I wouldn’t mind a bit more privacy.”

He gave her a pointed look but she just smiled up at him saucily and winked.

“Ok then.” Buffy announced in her best ‘We will pretend we didn’t see that’ voice and ordered look outs and guards while she went down to the holds.

Each time they did this, her mind went back to the frightened girl huddled in the dark so many years ago. It was now her habit to walk 360 degrees around any and all bundled crates. She couldn’t help it, even after having The Watcher to herself. She always thought she might find a fearful blonde with a tearstained face crouching in the dust.

Of course she knew what she would find on the transport. A Payload. Plus the usual personal orders of cargo. After a less then15 minute perusal, her inner mathematician worked out that they would be taking almost half again as much as she had guaranteed. Not bad, not bad at all.

With a smile she headed back up the steps leading from the holds to an anxious crew still in wait on deck. Her eyes gleamed as she looked over her men. “Take her over, it’ll be one hell of a party!”

And the yells ran through the misfit crew. Yelps and hollers and then a stumbling line down to the unfamiliar depths of The Premier.

The Slayer couldn’t help but grin as she watched her men, her crew, her friends go down in anticipation of the treasure within. They were efficient. In no time the cargo would be well stowed and they would be off.

She let her gaze fall back to her smoldering ship. Oddly it was in the exact same state it had been for nearly one hour. No one ever seemed to take into account how quickly wood burned. It should have been long ago sunk. Yet these men of The Premier had come to save them.

Weren’t they sweet?

She took the opportunity to duck into what was obviously this captain’s quarters and began her usual search. It took her no time at all to find the secret compartment that held all of the orders for this ship and several others. Plans, defense strategies, and even a warning to watch for unusual instances or trickery by unfamiliar crafts. She chuckled as she pulled a clean parchment from the captain’s own desk and jotted down whatever she could find of relevance.

Before she headed out, she stashed some other inconsequential notations that were laying out in plain sight. If and when Johnston’s people found their hidden orders in one piece while other things were missing, they would most likely believe that the secrets were safe.

This strategy had been tried and true for Ripper, and had held true for her on most excursions onto a Johnston’s transport. The fools never seemed to come up with more creative hiding nooks than a trick drawer on the back of the captain’s desk, an indiscretion she knew Riley had changed within days of receiving The Initiative.

Tucking all of her papers within her bodice once the inks had dried well, Buffy threw open the door and let it fall closed as she watched the first mate trying to talk to his captain.

She took slow strides to the second mast still smiling. The captain was obviously conspiring with his first mate. Some devilishly evil plan to break loose no doubt. She supposed she should be worried, but to be quite frank her first impression of Captain Rayne left something to be desired.

If there were anyone on this crew she thought might actually be a problem it was the First Mate. There was something about him that made her senses stay on guard. And even now it was the fairer haired one who seemed to be eyeing her and quickly finished whatever sentence he’d been saying.

They were quite engrossed and the captain of The Premiere didn’t notice her until she was well upon them. But The First Mate of The Premier, who was still watching her as she approached, was clearly not pleased with the sight.

“You’re going to kill us now then?” Lindsey asked flatly.

Buffy merely chuckled, then composed herself. “If we’d wanted you dead, you would be.”

The Captain seemed to lighten a shade, but Lindsey didn’t falter. “Then this is it? The Watcher?”

The question had been asked, but never so quickly. It actually caught her off guard a moment. “Well,” She began and looked to the captain who seemed to be giving her another look. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

Buffy said and smiled at him with a perfect pearl toothed grin.

Lindsey followed her path as she seemed to take a few steps in random directions every few words. The sun however was just low enough to make it difficult to keep his gaze fixed without staring into the lowering flaming globe. The young brunette girl seemed to flash at random in between Buffy’s true face and the glare of the sun.

“I’m going insane.” He heard his captain admit when once again the pale young visage of a teen appeared.

Lindsey was handling things a bit better, suddenly understanding a few things. “We’d gotten warnings of female crews, but not ones in distress. I thought I was reliving a memory. Something familiar.”

“De ja vous?” She supplied to the squinting man.

He looked at her again, studying her intently just as her appearance shifted again to the blonde. He shook his head a bit. “But you aren’t this Slayer person. Or you are, but...” He glared now, upset that his words failed him. “None of you are as you seem.” He glanced in the direction of the still billowing smoke and wood amazingly keeping afloat. “None of you are.” He said and again looked back to see the dark haired girl. “Not your looks, or your ship.”

A curdling in his stomach began to take his breath away, and Lindsey thought that for the first time in his life he may suffer from sea-sickness. He’d always known ships, nearly born on one, and this new uneasiness swayed him as he realized nothing here was as it should be. “But,” He began and slowly brought his eyes up to the now blonde woman in front of him.

It took him a full breath before he could finish his question. “But how can this be?”

Captain Rayne seemed to have settled and was looking back and forth between the smoldering cinders of a plumaged craft, and back to the female who couldn’t decide what guise to wear. “If this is The Watcher, then where is this Slayer? Summers had just sent the report.”

The Slayer blanched at the mention of her surname. She quickly looked away from the confused mate to the captain.

Rayne’s eyes squinted a bit. “You remind me of, a long dead woman.” He said. “It is your trickery isn’t it? The rumors.” He seemed to think on his own words as Buffy heard her crew moving again behind her.

True to form, her crew was hauling the cargo now. And she was entertaining the crew of the ship she was robbing, although not quite in the usual manor. Information, some new, was being shared with her. All the sudden she wanted to laugh at the strangeness of her life, but Ethan was still talking. “He’s looking for you, you know?”

Again The Slayer’s eyes widened with partially faked shock. “What? Really?”

Ethan nodded, very confident of himself, suddenly feeling he had something that may shift some power back into his hands. A helpful change for him, especially considering his position of being captive on his own boat.

“Every captain, crewmate and docks is looking for you. A price he has on The Wather now.” He grinned with his information spilling out. “More money then has been offered before. At least from a private party.” He continued, now sure he had her attention he seemed to be able to communicate as though he were a gentleman once again standing in the presence of some underling.

“Mr. Summers spoke to me personally. Fifty thousand, on your head.”

Buffy stood stone cold in her high priced slippers.

“Bloody lot of good it did, getting the personal up and ups from the boss.” She heard come from behind her and turned enough to see psudo Spike-ette at her defense. “I mean, you just heard about the ploy and then decided, what? Couldn’t possibly happen to you,? Some tasty bits here if we happen to be all ‘sweet an innocent?”

Buffy couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Wankers.” Was spouted under his breath before she heard him tread off.

After a beat, The Slayer held up a knife, dull and used from the captives’ own stash below in the hold. “Here’s the situation my boys, I really have no love of killing you, at least not now. I’m going to leave this behind. It may take a good slosh from a wave beating at your sides, but eventually one of you should be able to reach it. Or you’ll have loosened the ropes. Either way, no death. But we are liberating you of your heavy load. Seems hardly fair a craft such as this to be burdened, don’t you agree?”

She paced again, watching the captors, watching Oz as he kept a long view out for anyone who might interrupt them. She spied Wood at the bow doing the same thing. Willow was keeping an account of the crates as they passed quickly. They had a system now that worked very well. Buffy noted Devon and Xander going by, they were most likely nearly finished. It always amazed her what hard work could accomplish in such a short amount of time.

“Have you nothing to say for yourself?”

The question was asked by the captain, and drew Buffy’s attention. “About what?”

“About this debauchery!”

She watched him strain as he yelled the accusation. She waited as Willow headed across the plank, signaling that all that could be carried off the ship had been.

Another final sweep of her eyes over the bridge let her know that all of her crew had finished. Oz and Woods fell behind Willow nodding at their captain as they passed.

With a small nod back to her men she turned back to the red faced men at her feet. Rather it was the hot sun or the anger they were obviously both feeling towards her, she didn‘t know or care. With a shrug she smiled back at the trussed pair.

“Say hi to Mr. Summers for me.” She dropped the knife, letting the dull clank of metal bouncing on wood clear her senses.

Buffy stood on The Premier’s bridge waiting for a rope high on her ships mast to be tossed over, then she deftly cut the ties on the plank and began walking. She barely reached her ship when the bobbing caused the boards to fall and she made a leap for the bridge of The Watcher using a pull of the rope to guide her.

She swung her legs outstretched to land well on the rail and then took a small hop down to the deck. Her skirts were rumpled but still firmly attached to her gown. She turned and gave an arching wave “Ta for now boys.” Finishing with a mock salute, she strode determined towards her chambers. “Ladies, lets get these ridiculous costumes off.”

“Yes, please.” Willow agreed, and followed the blonde into the private room with the brunette smoothly striding behind and shutting the door.

The cargo happily now in their hold, Spike just looked about, and finally asked. “What about us?”

He felt Xander slap him on the shoulder and then heard a consolatory sigh. “We unfortunately, have to keep this garb on until the ships outta sight of the premier. All part of the spell. Can’t have one without the other.” He shook his head and Spike looked at him with shock.

“I really hate this place, I truly do.”

~~`~~

Several days later found Wesley rushing into Hank Summers’s office out of breath and gripping his side. “They’ve arrived.” He gasped out and repeated himself. “Sir, they have arrived finally.”

Summers stood up hands swiftly coming down on his desktop. “Rayne had better have an explanation for his indiscretion yet again.” His booming declaration filling the office.

The bold owner quickly fastened his waistcoat and grabbed the recently acquired cane with a lion’s head handle. It’s black sleek shaft with the silver tip clacked on the floor as he took each step.

Wesley followed the now irate Hank, steps swiftly pounding after the clacking through the halls out towards the entrance that lead to an awaiting carriage. The smaller man‘s entire body shook with worry at the anger of his boss. “I believe he has the only acceptable explanation Mr. Summers.”

All at once Mr. Summers stopped. Wesley had to right himself to avoid hitting the overbearing blonde in the back from the sudden halt in motion. Hank Summers stared down at his employee. “So he has arrived in a coffin then?”

With some shock on his face the underling answered. “No, his ship was raided.”

It was then that Hank spun, his cane nearly hitting the shin of his employee. “Was it that Slayer again?” He desperately asked, anger no longer filling his eyes, but near glee.

Wesley simply shook his head a little, for he had no clue.

Hank went without the carriage, now fueled by his excitement at having more news. The prospect of firing Rayne didn’t hurt either. He’d let that man get away with murder but this final failure would be the last of it.

As he walked towards the docks, Hank stepped into the hustle and bustle of the business district. The larger businessman forced his way through the crowd. Poor Wesley tried to stay as close as he could to Hank without actually grabbing his coattail and hanging on for dear life.

There were a few turns that passed store entrances and the random offshoot street heading towards the residential districts. Hank kept pushing people aside who dutifully excused themselves for being in his way. It was no time at all before they were standing at the pier, The Premier at the far end where a group of men were milling while the crew retold the story of their encounter.

The captain and first mate were speaking to a man taking notes and trying to get as many details as were fresh in the concerned captain‘s memory. He was frazzled and not looking forward to the confrontation sure to come from the owner. The very man now striding towards him.

“Rayne!” Hank yelled, effectively quieting the entire pier. All of the bodies within hearing distance turned toward the man with the cane. “Is it true? Were you raided by that damned Slayer again?”

Wesley tried to remind the excited man. “It wasn’t Captain Rayne in command during the previous raids, Mr. Summers.”

A large arm pushed Wesley back behind Hank again. “I know, I know.” Hank threw over his shoulder. “But was it him?” He asked Ethan once again, eyes baring down on the smaller man.”

The short man taking notes interrupted and set his quill aside on the makeshift desk that had been set up the moment the crew departed. “So far, sir, it seems as though it was a boat loaded down with women.” He leaned over the short table that had been set up and dipped the quill once again before scrolling a few more characters. “All kinds and they were all in on the heist.” The feathers on his quill flew around against a sharp breeze while he held the paper firm with his free hand. “And apparently one that can change her appearance at will.” He looked up at the now dumbstruck owner. “And everyone’s story says the same thing.”

~~`~~

“A-and a stow of fabrics.” Willow recounted smiling from ear to ear and bouncing on the captain‘s bed while laying on her stomach, using her hands to prop up her head. “I also think Xander mentioned herbs along with a few stones, but I don’t remember for sure.” she shook her head and frowned while trying to recall the short list in her head.

Buffy laughed at her friends hyperness. For some reason out of the whole crew it was always Willow that got the biggest rush over the merchandise liberated from a conquest. Sometimes Buffy thought it had to do with the redhead’s meager beginnings, but it really didn’t matter. She was always so amusing at this stage. Everything was secured below but they hadn’t really gone through much. That was currently in progress of course, but incomplete.

“As much as I’d love some new jewels, what we need are the practical items for sale at Peacock‘s Cove.” Buffy shuffled through the scrolls, maps and letters laying across the floor of her chamber. She had most of it separated into piles by importance, but she hadn’t been able to really go through it all. “Besides, if everything goes as planed we are going to have another hit that will be filled with possible riches.” Buffy looked up at her friend who was lounging across the captain’s bed now dressed in her normal attire.

“Ok, but when we get to the good stuff on this take, where are we going to trade?”

Buffy looked back down at the map sitting in front of her. It was laying crumpled against the papers in piles underneath but she could read plainly where Johnston’s was. “Don’t worry, Wills, I’ve got it all planned out.” She looked up and nodded at her friend. “And then we are going to go someplace no one will expect.”

The wiccan knew that tone. It was never good when the blonde’s voice turned determined during such a simple conversation. “Buffy, are you going to tell me what’s been going on already or not?”

The blonde stared back up at her friend. She knew one day it would come. Either to Willow or Xander. She’d always imagined it would be both. She was going to have to tell but eventually the whole crew would have to be aware.

With a shaky breath Buffy started. “You already know how I came on board, and all about Giles, Willow. But what you don’t know is that Hank Summers of Johnston’s is my Father.”

The other girl’s jaw dropped. “What!?”

“Just let me say this.” Buffy pled, holding a hand up.

Willow tried to look more calm and quieted herself, so Buffy continued. “He abandoned me here. He abandoned me even before my ship was taken by pirates so many years ago.” Her voice creaked with each word, the emotions were too strong as she thought of everything she’d been able to piece together over the years.

Willow was too shocked to do much but stare open mouthed while waiting for the rest.

“That’s bad enough I suppose, but then there’s my mom and Dawn.” Buffy continued feeling a little stronger at the softening of her friend’s face. “And a lie about me as well.”

Willow now looked at Buffy with some curiosity and sorrow.

“My mom had died before I left. I don’t remember how long but not too long. I remember her, you know? I remember her eyes mostly, but I also remember moments. Like when I got that music box. Buffy’s head nodded to the item under discussion sitting on the corner of her desk. “I remember when I fell and she washed the scrape on my hands.” She shook her head. “But I don’t remember a sister. Mom left for a while, I remember that. I block of lonely time. But no sister.”

“Well, you were real young. Maybe you could remember if you had something to remind you of her.” Willow tried to help.

Buffy got up suddenly, her hair whipping around her face while she reached for a chest across the room and pulled out a roll of parchment. She tossed it at the surprised girl on her bed and declared. “Something like that?”

Willow took one look at what revealed itself as she opened the scroll. “Oh god, Buffy. It’s that glamour you wanted.” She stared up at the still standing woman. “This is Dawn, your sister?”

Buffy simply nodded. “We always try to get information. Giles found some things out on accident years ago. He waited to tell me and well, the letters, the payments, it all added up to me having some long lost sister.”

“But this is great, right? Family and all.” Willow said trying to smile even though her friend’s face was solemn. It was apparent that things were not all well.

“The sister thing is good, but the fact that my dear father decided to ship her off and pretend she doesn’t exist is wrong. The girl thinks she’s an orphan. She’s been away her entire life.”

“Why would he do that?” Willow asked intrigued.

Anger laced the captain’s voice. “Because she’s a secret. We both are.”

She watched her friend’s face, trying to search for her reaction. But Willow’s face was just confused. “He was sending me to my aunt’s when Ripper found me. But Hank decided to keep my missing status away from her when he found out the ship was taken. He assumed I was dead, I believe, and has been telling my aunt that I stayed behind with him, while telling those around him that I am away with my aunt.”

“I hate to repeat myself, but I still ask, why?”

Buffy let out a short breathy laugh. “Because, Johnston’s is mine, by rights of birth. My grandfather Johnston assured my mother of that. To be set aside for my husband, but mine none the less.” She watched as her friends eyes opened wide in shock. “And with us females out of the way-”

“It’s his.” The redhead said in a flat tone, to which Buffy nodded.


Chapter End Notes:
Ok, I redid this chapter about 10 times. It just didn't seem to come out the way I wanted, but in hopes of not driving myself insane I decided to just post the darn thing. Hope you liked. :D



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