Jacob winced in pain as Raephier collapsed like a dead weight on top of him. Thankfully, Jacob had seen the moment Raephier's eyes had rolled upwards and so was able to break his fall before he hit the deck.

Jacob quickly scanned for signs that he was hurt, but it just looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

"Jacob, oh thank god!" came a familiar voice, before Jacob was being pulled onto his feet and then squeezed by Pete's arms.

Jacob chuckled awkwardly and patted Pete on the back.

"Your mum was right when she said you have the constitution of a cockroach," Pete said with a chuckle.

It had long been a joke in Jacob's family that he never got seriously injured or hurt. He'd found himself in a number of situations that could have easily cost him his life, yet somehow he always managed to survive relatively unscatheed, much to the amusement, and probably relief, of his family.

Jacob heard a groan of pain coming from somewhere behind Pete, and it was only then that his eyes finally surveyed the destruction that surrounded him.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked, scanning around frantically. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Not too badly....at least, I think," Pete said, also looking around. "To be honest, it's been chaos right up until a minute ago so I'm not sure myself."

"What happened to those two?" Jacob said, pointing at Lyle and James who were lying passed out among the debris.

"They're ok, I've checked," Tyler shouted over. "I think they just need to sleep it off."

Jacob turned to Pete with a raised eyebrow.

"They had their ear plugs knocked out so were affected by the song."

Jacob's eyes widened in alarm.

"I can't believe this was all going on and I had no idea."

"What do you remember?" Pete asked.

Jacob tried hard to remember, but everything was a little blurry round the edges and a bit dreamlike.

"I can't really remember," he said, "but I do remember that it wasn't a bad feeling. I feel kind of refreshed, like I've had a really good night's sleep.

"Well, it's alright for some," Pete said with a huff, hitting Jacob lightly on the shoulder.

A movement by his feet caught Jacob's attention.

"W-What happened?" Raephier said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"I don't know, you tell me," Jacob said, crouching down to Raephier's level.

On hearing Jacob's voice, Raephier's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, his memory coming flooding back to him.

"Jacob! Oh my gosh, you're alive!!"

"I know!" said Jacob chuckling.

Jacob helped Raephier to his feet then pulled him tightly into his body, relishing the feeling of him pressed up against his chest.

"I thought I'd lost you," Raephier mumbled into Jacob's shoulder.

"You could never lose me," Jacob replied, squeezing him tighter, almost like he was afraid to let go.

"Raephier? Is that you?" came the voice of a woman.

Jacob reluctantly let Raephier when he felt him pull out of his embrace to see who it was who had recognised him.

"Hermoine?!!" Raephier said in shock, and then he ran over and threw his arms around the woman.

Jacob heard Pete chuckle next to him.

"If you scowl any deeper, your eyebrows will be touching your chin."

"I'm just concerned, that's all," Jacob said, immediately relaxing his face. "We don't know who she is."

"Yeah, right," Pete said with a grin. "But I don't know why you're worried. Raephier's obviously crazy about you. He's not about to be turned by a woman who looks twice his age."

Jacob began to feel himself relax. Pete was right. The woman looked old enough to be his mother, and the way they were interacting was like friends, nothing more.

"Jacob, come here," Raephier shouted, so Jacob went over to where Raephier was standing, all the while keeping a cautious eye on the woman with fiery red hair.

"Jacob, this is Hermoine, Hermoine, this is Jacob."

Jacob nodded his greeting at the woman, and she nodded back.

"I met Hermoine on one of the previous ships I was on," Raephier said, addressing Jacob. "She helped me come to terms with being a Siren."

"It's not usual to find a woman on a ship," Jacob said, trying and failing to hide his suspicion of the woman.

"Ahh, I was a prisoner too, much like Raephier," Hermione replied.

Jacob's eyes widened as he started to make the connection.

"Fingers said something about Jinx taking something that belonged to him. Was it you he was referring to?"

"Yes, I believe it was," the woman said, but she was smiling as if the conversation topic didn't offend her in any way.

"So you're a....." Jacob said, trailing off.

"A Siren, yes."

"Oh," Jacob said, at a loss for words.

"So how do you two know each other?" Hermoine asked.

"He's my master," Raephier replied, making Jacob wince slightly. Hermoine also frowned at the comment but Raephier quickly added, "Well he was, but he's kind of more to me than that now."

"And I'd like to add that I had no idea that I was purchasing a living breathing person," Jacob said, feeling the need to clarify. "I never wanted to be his master, and I still don't. Raephier is free to go whenever he chooses."

"Ahhh," Hermoine said with a little knowing smile. "That explains it then."

"Explains what?" Raephier asked.

"Why you didn't take his soul when you kissed."

"You know why that happened?" Raephier exclaimed at the same time Jacob said,

"What?"

Hermoine laughed. "A Siren steals souls. They trick their prey by appearing as something they find desirable and then they lure them in to steal their soul. You cannot steal a soul that has already been given to you freely. You cannot steal what already belongs to you."

"H-How do you know that?" Raephier asked with wonder and amazement written all over his face.

"How do I know that Jacob has given you his soul or how do I know that's the reason he's still alive?" Hermoine asked with a glint in her eyes.

"The second one," Raephier said quietly as an adorable blush covered his cheeks.

Hermoine shrugged. "The sea witch who cursed me told me. Were you not told when you were cursed?"

"No!! She most definitely did not tell me that!" Raephier said, thrusting his arms onto his hips in a way that made Jacob have to bite his lip not to laugh. Jacob wouldn't have been surprised if he stamped his feet next.

"I'm sorry, I would have mentioned it when we last met, but it didn't seem the right time after you'd just taken the soul of the first guy you loved."

Jacob felt an unexpected squeeze of something in his chest.

Raephier shook his head. "It's ok. It's not your fault. And I never loved him. At least not in the way you mean. I know that now."

It wasn't until Jacob felt the warmth of Raephier's hand in his, that he realised he'd taken Raephier's hand without even thinking about it. Raephier gave his hand a squeeze back.

"You're so lucky Raephier, I'm quite jealous," Hermoine said, smiling at them with a wistful expression on her face.

"I'm sure you'll find someone too," Raepheir said. "If I can, then I'm sure you can too."

Hermoine shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid it's too late for me," she said, and then her gaze fixed on something out to sea.

Jacob turned to see what she was looking at, and saw a small row boat coming towards the ship. Jacob didn't need to focus on the solitary figure to know who it was working the ores.

"I can stop him from taking you if you want," Jacob offered.

Hermoine turned to Jacob and gave him a soft smile, but he could see the sadness behind it.

"No, thank you, but I need to go back with him."

"No, Hermoine, you don't," Raephier said, letting go of Jacob's hand to take hold of her arm. "You don't need to belong to someone. We can help. We'll figure something out."

Hermoine took Raephier's hand off her arm and gave it a squeeze between both of hers.

"It's fine Raephier. I'm not like you. I've been doing this for far too long. It's too late for me now."

"It's never too late!" Raephier said, sounding more and more desperate.

Hermoine sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

"Did I ever tell you what happens to a Siren as they take more souls?"

"Yes, you said the more they take, the more they crave the feeling of taking a soul. You said it was like an addictive drug."

"Yes, that's right," Hermoine said. "And did I tell you what it does to physically to your body?"

Raepheir frowned. "No, I don't think you said anything about that."

"Well everytime you take a soul, it takes away a piece of who you are, it takes away what makes you beautiful. Soul by soul it turns you into a monster, both on the inside and outside."

"But, you're still beautiful," Raephier argued.

Jacob couldn't help but think he wouldn't really describe the woman as beautiful, but she was in no way a monster either.

"Oh Raephier dear, this isn't my true form," she said, placing a hand gently on his cheek.

"But you've always looked like that! Well maybe you look a little older than the last time I saw you, but you're not..." Raephier trailed away looking like he didn't know how to continue.

"Can I see your true form?" Jacob asked in curiosity.

Hermoine raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure you want to," she replied.

"I want to see it too," Raepheir said. "I promise you, I won't see you any differently."

Hermione stepped back and took a deep breath in and out.

"I wouldn't blame you if you do think differently after, you need to know that," she said, before slowly her body began to change.

Jacob looked in horror as her face seemed to melt away leaving a thin almost translucent layer of skin over the bones of her face. Her eyes sunk back in their sockets and changed from a bright green to the colour of dirty water. The flame coloured hair was extinguished and fell out onto the deck before disappearing into dust that blew away on the breeze. She was left with just a few tendrils of grey hair that seemed to stick to her clammy skin. She held out her arms next and they seemed to wither in front of them, until they looked like the arms of a 90 year old woman who had been starved and was close to death. And then the sores appeared. Large red blisters that erupted puss like volcanos....

"Enough!!!" Raephier shouted, turning and burying his head into Jaocb's chest.

By the time Jacob's eyes moved off the boy in his arms and back to the Siren, she was back to how she looked before.

Jacob pulled Raephier's head up off his chest and brushed away his fallen tears.

"It's ok Raeph, she looks ok again."

"Yes, but you're not ok, are you?" Raepheir said, turning back to Hermoine. "How many?" he asked.

Hermoine laughed, but Jacob was pretty sure she didn't find it funny.

"I've given up counting long ago," she answered.

"I'm so sorry!" Raephier said, tears flowing down his cheeks quite freely.

Jacob knew that seeing Hermoine like that would have affected Raephier strongly, how could it not, and he began to wish he'd never asked to see her true form.

"Don't be sorry," Hermoine said to Raephier, reaching out and taking his hand. "I only agreed to show you because I think it's something you needed to see. A reminder of why you need to stay strong."

"HEY!" came a shout from below and the three of them peered over the side of the ship to see Fingers sitting in the small row boat looking as grumpy and put out as ever.

"Come on Wench, I haven't got all day!" he shouted.

Jacob was about to shout back to tell Fingers to watch his manners when Hermoine beat him to it.

"Oh shut up you mithering snake! It's not like your lazy ass has anything better to do!"

"My lazy ass?!" Fingers shouted back, sounding put out, "Says the wench who sits there and sings while the men come to her?"

"Not my fault most men are dumb as fuck!"

Jacob couldn't help spluttering after nearly choking at that comment. It wasn't often that he heard a woman talk with that kind of language. But knowing she could clearly handle herself with Fingers did give him a certain amount of satisfaction.

"Sorry," Hermoine said, turning her attention back to Jacob who had turned quite red after his coughing fit. "Using vulgar language is sometimes the only way to get your point across at sea."

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Raepheir asked, still looking anxious for his friend.

"Of course I am," she said, pulling him in for another hug. "I can handle a hundred of him and still come out fighting."

"I don't doubt it," Jacob said with a small smirk.

Raephier pulled back almost reluctantly, and Hermoine gave his hair one last ruffle before she grabbed hold of the rope ladder on the deck and tossed it over the side.

"About bloody time!" Jacob heard Fingers shout from below.

He heard Hermoine shout something back but his attention was taken away by groans coming from Lyle and James who seemed to be waking up from whatever effect the Siren's song had had on them.

"Son of a bitch, that hurts!" moaned James as he sat up holding his head like he was suffering from the hang over from hell.

Lyle gave out a moan of pain as he sat himself upright.

"Are you two ok?" Jacob asked.

He watched as both men peered up at him bleary eyed, but whereas James quickly pulled his gaze back down again, away from the bright light, Lyle seemed to freeze, his eyes widening and his skin going even paler than it already was.

For a moment Jacob thought maybe he was just shocked to see him alive, but then he realised Lyle was staring slightly left of where Jacob was. Jacob turned to see what he was looking at and saw Hermoine staring right back. But whereas Lyle's look was full of fear, Hermoine just looked curious, like she was trying to remember something.

"James, Lyle, are you both ok?" Pete asked, standing in front of them both and blocking Jacob's view. By the time he turned back to Hermoine to ask what that was about, she'd disappeared down the side of the ship.

Before he could dwell on it much longer, he felt two hands snake their way under his jacket and around his back. Jacob let out a deep sigh of contentment as Raephier seamlessly slotted himself into Jacob's embrace. The feeling Jacob got from having him in his arms felt so right that he couldn't believe that they hadn't been cuddling like this for years.

"I think I've had enough excitement to last me for quite some time," Raephier mumbled into Jacob's chest.

Jacob chuckled lightly then sighed.

"Then how about I take you home."

Raephier pulled back a little to look at Jacob's face.

"You mean back to your ship?"

Jacob shook his head.

"Actually I was thinking about a little two up two down house in a little fishing village I know."

Raephier's eyes lit up before he buried himself even further in Jacob's chest.

"I like that," he said, "I like that very much indeed."



A/N. To the person who is currently copying my story onto the website NovelHD - I have not given permission for you to copy this story so unless you want to feel my wrath, please do not copy anymore.

A/N(2). Because I decided I didn't want to leave this on a bad note, I just want to say that this chapter is dedicated to John and Johannas who are the first all male couple to dance on Strictly Come Dancing (the UK version of Dancing with the Stars). Tonight they did an epic Paso Doble to He's a Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean. Despite what people say, having an all male couple is not a gimmick. I am witnessing first hand what a difference it is making to children and their perception of what it means to be gay. I'm so proud of them!! It was HOT!!!!