As the blue glow settles around them and starts to dissipate, Fred clutches her head and transforms. Angel welcomes Illyria back.

“Shouldn’t I have said where… That is, when… we had to go?”

Illyria watches as the warp fades around them. “No need, Angel. Did you not recognise your thoughts as we travelled? Were you not remembering your vision when we were thrown through time?“

A second longer and the warp has gone. Angel knows immediately where they are. The floor beneath them is rocking, and the air is full of salt from the ocean all around them.

“We are almost to that long-ago turning point in your life that you think will save the future. All we have to do now is fix your past.” She takes a look at the deck of the boat they’ve materialised on. “You recognise this place, yes?“

There’s hesitation in the vampire’s voice. “I do.”

“What do you do?” Another voice — but this time, the Texan drawl is unmistakable. Fred.

“I’m glad you’re back, Fred, but holding a conversation can be a challenge sometimes.”

Fred sighs and shrugs. “Oh, well, yeah. But lots of friends have that problem even without the excuse of having two people inside them. Is this where you wanted to go?”

“Yes,” the vampire says, taking in his surroundings. “We’re aboard the good ship Galene. On our way back to England, after stopping in Australia. Not that she’ll make it that far.”

Fred doesn’t like the sound of that. “Not to ruin the ominous mood with practicalities, but what are we doing here?”

Angel is stalking the deck, not looking at Fred. “Something was smuggled onboard in Australia that I think might help us. It’s—”

He stops mid-turn. “Quick! Hide!”

“Hide? Where?” Angel then appears out of nowhere and grabs her arm.

A woman comes out onto the deck, admiring the full moon. She wears a long, wealthy gown — clearly someone of import. Her long blonde hair is styled up with a purple ribbon, matching the colour of her dress.

She’s disturbed by a deckhand approaching her from behind. “Oh! You startled me.”

Fred, hanging onto the side of the boat where Angel is holding them steady, gasps and then tries to lower her volume. She whispers at Angel, startled. “That sounds like… Darla?”

“Because it is,” he whispers back.

The deckhand stutters as he talks to the lady. “My apologies, I only meant to warn you that the night air is unhealthful at these latitudes.”

“Perhaps. But it is certainly more pleasant now that you are here with me.” Darla takes a step toward the deckhand, a small smile on her lips. He’s flattered and agrees to accompany her below.

“Why not lend me your arm in turn around the deck first,” she says, a glint in her eye. “It’s a fine night and I want to see the stars.”

On the side of the ship, Fred asks Angel who Darla is talking to. He doesn’t know, but he knows what Darla’s doing. “I don’t know why, but she’s definitely hunting.”

They hear the deckhand direct her back into the bowels of the ship. Angel tells Fred to stay put and climbs back up the side of the ship. He creeps up onto the railing and quickly moves back aboard, the wind whistling through his coat.

Darla is startled. “Did you hear something?”

The deckhand tightens her arm around his and reassures her. “It’s just the wind and the waves making the ship speak, Madam. You live at sea as long as I have and you get used to it. Now, come below… I picked up something awfully pretty in Sydney that I’d love to show you.”

As the pair move off, Angel nearly jumps out of his skin in fright when someone taps his shoulder. He’s surprised to find Fred, soaking wet and not looking amused, clinging to the rail and trying to clamber back aboard.

“Fred! Be careful. Darla’s dangerous.”

“More dangerous than the rogue wave that almost swept me away just now?”

Angel looks guilty. “Damn, I’m sorry. I just thought if you stayed out of sight you’d be safe from, well…”

Fred looks at him. “From you? If Darla’s here, you must be here too.”

“Not me. Angelus. But yes, Angelus is here, or he will be in a minute.”

Fred puts a hand on his arm and looks him in the eyes. “I think you’d better fill me in on just what’s going on here. I understand how seeing Darla would make you jumpy, and you seeing Angelus is just going to be plain terrible… But the better I understand what we’re after, the more I can help and the sooner we can get off this ship, right?”

“I can’t argue with any of that,” the vampire says, looking down at his feet. He almost seems sad. “It’s just so hard to talk about this part of my past. But I’ll try, as well as I can recall.”

He looks around the deck, as if trying to see it again in his head. “The trip out of Sydney was odd. There were rumours that someone had brought a real treasure onboard. Some mystical cursed piece of jewellery, something like that. We knew, because that man there is quite the braggart. Thing is, this bit of jewellery is supposed to be in the shape of a beetle.”

“Did you ever see it?”

“No. And it’s my… Angelus’s fault. Darla was trying to get the location from him before she fed… but Angelus got impatient… or if you want the whole truth, maybe a bit jealous.”

They’ve moved now and they can see Darla and the deckhand at the door leading below deck. She’s put her arm on his shoulder. As she speaks, she brings herself closer to him, her hand on his stomach, moving up to his chest.

“You were saying you had something interesting to show me in your quarters?”

He grins in anticipation and then looks around, making sure no one else can hear. “Not my quarters, Madam. Too many prying eyes there. But if you come with me I’ll show you quite a fine secret.”

They head off again, and Angel and Fred slowly get up as they move off.

“I think the jewelled beetle might have something to do with my vision. But the only way we’ll find it is if I get to that man before Angelus does!” He looks up at the sail above him. He has a plan. Without a word, he’s up high, moving across the structure of the ship. He can see Darla and the deckhand below him.

“Then please, lead the way. I’m simply dying to see what you have to show me.” Darla eyes up the deckhand’s neck, preparing her kill, her voice purring with seduction.

“Darla!”

She turns, instantly annoyed and aggravated. The Irish brogue belongs to her consort, the vampire Angelus.

He’s grinning — the sort of grin which means he’s thinking something awful. “Surely you weren’t going to sneak off without sharing your good fortune with me?”

“Of course not,” Darla states, shaking her head. “Only you’ve arrived at a rather inopportune moment.”

“Is that so? Or were you just trying to keep this opportunity for yourself?”

The deckhand watches their argument and their voices start to rise. They’re almost snarling at each other now. He backs off slowly, although neither vampire hears him.

“Stop being so rash, Angelus. Must you always get this way?”

“Ah, so you aren’t keen on sharing tonight?”

“Angelus, please, you are frightening… Oh!” Darla turns in surprise and then looks at Angelus with anger. “Where did he get to?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Angelus says, his fangs emerging. “He can’t go far.”

The deckhand has gone further than he thought possible. He’s now far up above the ship, on the crossbeams holding the sail in place. Angel whispers at him. “I wouldn’t yell if I were you unless you want a short trip back to the deck.”

Back below on the deck, Darla is still angry. “What were you thinking? I was about to add to my jewellery collection.”

“You can do that just as easily after we’re done with him.”

“Not if you don’t know where it is!” She turns away from him in a mood.

“What do you need with another jewel anyway?”

Darla doesn’t bother to turn. “Jewels are always better than money, you know that! Especially something this exotic. There must be a truth behind the rumours. Don’t you just love mysteries? I’m simply dying of curiosity.”

“But you don’t even know what it is!”

Listening to the conversation up above, Angel tells the deckhand to stay out of their way. The crewman asks if he’s a twin or something. But he promises not to let Angel down.

As the deckhand runs as fast as he can back to his cabin, Fred turns to Angel.

“Did you just change history?”

“I guess I did. Angelus killed that man last time. He tasted terrible, as I recall. Way too salty and kind of… spoiled. Almost rotten.”

“I don’t know if I wanted to know that.” Fred pulls a face. She sighs and then peers at her friend. “So what now? We’re in uncharted territory, aren’t we? Things aren’t going to be like you remember them anymore?”

“Did you see which way he went?” he asks her.

“Angelus?”

“No, that man. I’ve seen enough of human nature to know that after getting a scare like that, he’s bound to go check on this treasure first thing.”

Sure enough, following the deckhand down below, he’s clearly not going to his cabin. He unlocks a door and enters. Fred races to the door quietly, Angel warning her with whispers.

She waves her hands to shush him and gets on her knees, peering through the keyhole.

The deckhand pulls a drawer out of a desk and removes a false bottom. He then pulls a dark brown box out and starts talking to whatever is inside.

“Oh, yes, you’re fine. I knew no one would look for you here, but I had to be sure, didn’t I? Still couldn’t hurt to hide you a little better, could it? It won’t be for long. Promise.”

Then he puts the box back and exits, locking the door behind him. After he’s out of sight, Fred comes out again and begins to pick the lock with a piece of metal she’s obviously found lying around somewhere. Angel watches her pick the lock with amusement. He smiles and asks her where she learnt that trick.

“I learned a thing or two while we were in the detective business. Some of them were just less… legal than others.”

By the time Angel turns into the room, Fred has already removed the brown box from its hiding place and opened it. She’s stunned by what’s inside: a beetle. A very large beetle.

“What is it?” she asks, curiosity in her voice.

Then it moves.

Angel yells. “Whatever you do, don’t touch it!” Fred shuts the box as quickly as she can.

“It looks a lot like something I saw in my vision.”

Fred wonders what they’re supposed to do. Take it home with them? Angel suggests they learn more about it first. He notices markings on the box. “There’s something odd going on here. I don’t know how I missed it the last time around.”

Fred tells him that his perspective was a little different back then. He was focused on other things. The deckhand is the only one who has the information they need. Angel suggests she find some clothes and change — before she catches cold. He’ll be back as soon as he’s found the deckhand.

“You do know how to lower a lifeboat off a ship like this, right? Just in case?”

Fred looks startled and slightly panicked. “Um. No. Why?”

“There’s going to be a pirate attack tonight. So, if I’m not back in time, and you feel something hit the ship—”

Now Fred is on the verge of screaming. “A pirate attack? Seriously? What’d you do? What happened to the bug?”

Angel raises his hand and reassures her, calming her. “It was a stroke of luck for Darla and Angelus. This ship sank and presumably the bug with it. We got away on the pirate ship. Didn’t do the pirates good.”

Fred smiles. “Can I just say how adventurous that sounds? I mean I know you were evil and all, but that’s still kind of romantic. In the picturesque sense that is. Still, don’t take too long. I don’t know that I really want to meet a pirate.”

“You’ll hardly know I’m gone. I promise,” he tells her and then leaves her.

“I know it,” she whispers to herself as he goes.

She finds some suitable clothing and changes her clothes. She hears the door open and doesn’t bother turning.

“Back so soon?”

Then she turns and stops. She gasps loudly.

“Oh no.”

Darla is standing in front of her, her hand on the door handle. “Don’t be alarmed,” she says, smiling that seductive smile. She asks Fred what she’s got in the box. Fred tries to ignore her, but Darla moves towards her.

Fred backs into the wall behind her. Nowhere else to go. “Really, it’s nothing, Darla.”

The vampire tilts her head, her eyes focused on Fred’s. “Have we met before? I think I’d remember an urchin like you.”

“Oh, um… I’ve just heard about you. We can talk it over outside.”

“I think it’s best we discuss it right here. But first, why don’t you let me take a look in that box?” Then she growls and lunges at Fred.

Expecting her move, Fred moves quicker than Darla expects and soon they’re both standing opposite each other, both with hands on the box, tearing at it, trying to break the other’s hold. The box opens and Darla peers inside before Fred slams the box shut in panic.

“What was that?” Darla demands.

“I don’t really know,” Fred says, looking down at the box, puzzled.

Darla peers over her shoulder at the door. “Oh, you’ve found us.”

Fred hears the familiar voice and smiles without turning.

“Darla? What’s going on?”

She turns, calling his name. “Angel, thank God—”

Angelus just looks at her, completely confused. He looks at Fred and then Darla and then back at Fred.

“Angel?” he asks.