You knew it was coming.  I can’t seem to write a story without pirates.

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“Well, well, well, you have fallen into a nice nest, haven’t you?”

The familiar booming voice echoed through the entire house, and Drew grinned. “It’s a gilded cage,” he said, coming down the stairs. “I’m a golden bird.”

“Indeed you are!” The man at the bottom of the stairs echoed his grin. “But where is your lady? Why aren’t you sharing this with her?” Then he winked. “Or is she still in bed?”

“It’s nearly noon, Pavel,” Drew said. “No one is in bed now.”

“Says you.” Pavel shrugged. “For me, it’s still far too early.”

Drew shook his head and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. “I’m surprised you’re here this early, to be honest. I thought I’d see you at dinner.”

“I made the crew row,” Pavel said, then laughed again at the shocked look on Drew’s face. “Kidding! They’d kill me. But seriously,” and the amusement fell away from his handsome face, “you called, my friend. I came. What are friends for?”

“Helping,” Drew agreed. “Follow me. I was just about to make lunch.”

The kitchen at the cottage (Drew couldn’t help but call it that, even though it was the biggest cottage he’d ever seen) was as decked out as any he’d ever seen. Yet another place Molly would love.

As Pavel settled into one of the kitchen chairs, Drew opened the fridge and pulled out sandwich ingredients. The invisible servants had left him half a ham, already sliced, and some orange marmalade. He added in some sliced tomatoes, a bunch of lettuce leaves, and then dug around the cheese drawer until he found some slices of provolone. He deposited everything on the table in front of his friend.

“Bread?”

“Working on it,” Drew said, moving towards the bread box. It was white, as everything was in the kitchen, and had disgorged all sorts of goodies in the few days he’d been here. Today, it gave him thick slices of a hearty brown bread, enough for two, even given Pavel’s appetite.

“This is a good kitchen,” Pavel said, taking two of the slices from the plate Drew set down. “I approve.”

“I’m sure the Snow Queen will be happy you do,” Drew said, sitting down opposite him and putting a beer in front of him.

His words had little effect on the man in front on him, however. Pavel nodded and just continued to spread marmalade on a slice of bread. “She is a good host. Now, why are you in the Snow Queen’s guest house?”

“That,” Drew said, picking up his own beer, “is a very good question. Eat first.”

Pavel shrugged. “If you insist.”

Once the sandwiches were made and consumed, however, Pavel got down to business. “You are in a lot of trouble, my friend.”

Drew shrugged. “Not me, really.”

“Oh?” Pavel raised an eyebrow. “You are here, with Old Man Winter, and the Snow Queen is letting you stay in her guest house, but there are guards on the road up. Also, there is a dragon here. I say you are in trouble, my friend, and that is before you called me.”

“Guards?” That was news to Drew. “I wonder why.”

“Perhaps because the Snow Queen wants to make sure you are not disturbed?” Pavel shrugged again. “Once they saw it was me, they did not hinder me.”

“Interesting.” Drew filed that bit of information away. “And how did you know about the dragon?”

“Please.” Pavel gave him a long-suffering look. “I hear things. It’s my job.”

Drew gave up at that point. “I need you to deliver a message for me. To Molly.”

“Why don’t you invite her out here to give her your message?”

“I can’t.” Drew outlined his agreement with the Snow Queen in a few sentences. “So this is why I need you.”

Pavel leaned back and laced his fingers over his stomach, frowning. His large mustache drooped over his cheeks. “I was right,” he said finally. “You are in a lot of trouble.”

“Will you help me?”

“Of course.” Pavel shrugged. “Trouble is my middle name.” He winked at Drew. “Now, what message am I delivering for you?”

“Well, first you have to go and get it,” Drew said, and began to outline what he needed Pavel to do.

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Molly was singing along with Burl Ives as she rolled out gingerbread dough in the kitchen, and to all appearances, she was fine. Happy, if a little worried about Drew, which was completely normal. No one suspected what she was actually worried about: not only Drew, but Schrodinger, who had headed out first thing in the morning to look for Old Man Winter.

Mal had come down earlier that morning and let her know what she’d already suspected: that the Road had moved too much to be used by that Gate again, and that they were abandoning efforts to reconnect it. “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up trying to get Drew back,” he had assured her. “We just need to go about it a different way.”

“You might as well give up,” she’d told him. “Drew isn’t there anymore.”

Mal had gaped at her. “How did you know?”

“Schrodinger went and looked.” There was no reason to lie to the Gate manager. “Drew’s gone from that spot.”

“We’re not going to give up, Molly.” Mal had laid his hand on his chest. “I promise you. We will find him.”

“I know,” she had said, and sent him on his way with a large tin of orange cranberry tea bread slices and frosted sugar cookies.

Now, she relished the fact that even though the store itself hummed with activity, her little corner of the world was quiet and still. The scent of gingerbread and tea filled the air. Even with both the boys in her life off who knew where, for the moment, Molly was content.

This is what life should be, she thought.

Aunt Margie slipped her head around the door. “You have a visitor,” she said, and Molly paused. “Do you want me to send him in?”

She never asks that. This must be good. “I guess,” she said, putting her rolling pin aside and picking up her cookie cutter. “The kitchen is open to everyone, Aunt Margie.” Then she paused and grinned. “Unless you think I need a chaperone?”

“You might, with this one.” Aunt Margie ducked out before Molly could say anything else.

Oh, this should be interesting.

Molly began cutting out gingerbread men, wondering who or what was coming through the door. Aunt Margie took everything so calmly, up to and including the centaurs who came in to do their Christmas or Yule or whatever shopping, that for her to be flustered (and she had been flustered, or she wouldn’t have checked with Molly before sending this person in) was unusual.

Then again, when the…man…swept in through the door (and swept was really the only word Molly could use to describe his entrance), Molly could understand her aunt’s consternation. She gaped at him, her cookie cutter hanging from one hand forgotten, her only thought disappointment that Schrodinger wasn’t here to see him. The CrossCat would have been thrilled beyond belief.

“Have we met?” Molly asked, bemused. Usually only her friends came into the kitchen. Then again, there were few people who lived in the Cove who she didn’t think of as at least casual friends. This was someone she’d never seen before. She was quite certain of that.

He was tall, taller than Drew, with long dark hair pulled back into an artfully mussed ponytail, and dark eyes lined with lashes Lai would be jealous off. Snow dusted his burgundy and gold coat, and he paused to wipe the soles of his knee-length black boots before he entered the kitchen.

“No, but not for lack of trying, my dear lady,” he said, pulling his grey-furred hat from his head and sweeping her a flamboyant bow. “Sadly, our paths have not yet crossed, until a mutual friend asked me to stop by and deliver a present for him.”

Molly’s eyebrows went up. “You know Drew?”

“I do. Or rather, I knew his father, who sent the lad sailing with me one summer, to build character.” He set the hat in the crook of his arm and then offered her his other hand. “Captain Pavel Chekov, of the fine ship Heart’s Desire, at your service.”

“The Heart’s Desire?” Molly let him take her hand and kiss it. “The pirate ship?”

“We prefer deep-sea reassignment specialists,” Pavel said, winking at her as he let her hand slip through his fingers. “Pirate has such ugly connotations…”

Molly laughed. “Drew served on a pirate ship? He never told me that!”

“He didn’t?” Pavel looked mock-shocked. “That scoundrel. I shall have to enlighten you.”

“I look forward to it,” Molly said, picking her cookie cutter up again and beginning to cut out more gingerbread men. “Can I get you a cup of tea?”

“I would love a cup of tea.”

“Then sit.” She nodded toward one of the stools. “Your hat can go on the pegs. What kind of tea would you like?”

Pavel set his hat on the peg and then claimed the stool. “You wouldn’t have a delicate green, would you?”

“I would.” Molly decided not to comment on the choice, but put aside her cutter and went to get another mug from the pantry. I need more ceramic mugs for the winter, she thought, as she looked at the dwindling supply. Then she picked up the light green tea that she’d ordered at the beginning of the month, and went back out to the kitchen.

Pavel was looking at the cut out gingerbread men next to him. “Drew didn’t mention you were a kitchen witch.”

Molly shrugged. “It’s not a big deal,” she said, placing the tea into the mug and pouring hot water over it. She refilled her cup at the same time. “So, you have a message for me?”

“And a gift!” He presented that first: a bag that he pulled from inside his coat. The ornament affixed to the outside was ruby red, with sapphire blue connector beads. The card said simply, “You need to remember to slow down.” Inside the bag was a collection of her favorite bath salts and bath beads. Molly was touched.

“He is a good man,” Pavel said, sipping at his tea. “And he sent another message.”

“You may as well give it to me, “ Molly said, putting the bag and ornament with her coat.

“It’s not written down.” Pavel put down his tea cup and looked at her, the amusing flamboyance gone. “Don’t go looking for Old Man Winter, Molly.”

Ice ran through her at his words. How had he known? Molly lifted her chin. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You don’t,” Pavel said. “Old Man Winter is not one of the spirits who will be charmed by your baking and your smile, Molly. He’s a primal force. He’s not going to play your games.”

“I’m not playing a game,” Molly retorted. “And I’m not going to sit by and let Drew try and save my town.” At Pavel’s startled look, she nodded. “Yes, I know what’s going on. And since you’re delivering messages, you can give Drew one for me. I am NOT going to sit idly by. I am NOT going to wait for him to come back.”

Pavel sighed. “I will tell him.”  He didn’t have to say how unhappy Drew would be to get that message.

Molly already knew.  And it wasn’t going to stop her.