S. Welles - To Ocean's End

I gave him a dismissive wave. “I was actually about to get to that.” I pushed off the sink and stood next to Mido. “Jessie, it’s no coincidence that you found your way to my ship. You do realize that now, correct?”

She searched her thoughts. “I hadn’t really considered that, but now that you mention it, yes. What does this all mean?”

“I’m still taking you home after Morocco. I won’t make you stay if you don’t want to. But the thing is, your name means you were sent to help lift my curse. No clue how exactly, which is why I’ll be taking a very long side trip to Australia. Now, before I ask—”

“We’re going,” Ed and Ted said in unison.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“Don’t care.”

Mido said, “You already know I’m going, Captain.”

“As am I,” Rammus said.

The others chimed in their declaration to accompany me, even Jacobi. I said, “I don’t think any of you grasp how dangerous this’ll be. Well, Cancer, Sam, and Rammus sort of do. You three are the only ones who’ve gone on that trip with me before, and she didn’t make the visit overly pleasant.” The four of them grimaced.

Rammus said, “I think I’ll stay on the boat this time, Captain. Once is enough.”

“What happened last time?” Sauna asked.

I offhandedly said, “She seduced one of the techies and tried to drown the rest of us on our way out. I almost went water demon, but I managed to keep everyone alive without it. The next visit with Jessie, if she decides to go, will be even more dangerous.”

“How?” Jessie asked.

“I don’t want to discourage you to stay, Jessie. You’re the person I need the most to stick around if I’m to find a way to lift my curse. However, this is a lot to take in and you may not even want to be a part of all this.”

“I…” She looked at Mido, then back at me. “I’m still not sure. I want to go home so badly, but… I feel like I should help you if I can. I don’t know. I need time to think.”

Jacobi said, “Captain, I say dump her on her doorstep and be done with her. Same name or not, she’s just as much trouble as the other.”

I agreed with the trouble part, but I knew I needed to have her accompany me of her own free will. Mido whispered something to Jessie about not listening to Jacobi, that the guy was an jerk. Mido was right on both counts, but still. Jacobi was a good man and sailor, despite his womanizing streak. “My ship, my rules. I can drop you off somewhere nice while your leg heals if you don’t want to be a part of all this.”

He considered my words a moment, then gave Jessie an angry look and shook his head. “I’m staying.”

“Very well.” I wanted to ask him what changed his mind about quitting after Newport; however, I wasn’t going to put him on the spot in front of everyone. I’d ask later, if the opportunity arose. What mattered more was the look he just gave Jessie. I didn’t like it one bit. “Now let me reiterate this to all of you one more time.” I spoke slowly and carefully. “Sticking around and going to Australia means putting your life on the line. That’s how dangerous this is. This is not a joke or a vacation. So, are all of you sure you still want to come?”

With exception of Jessie and O’Toole, everyone gave me a resounding yes.

I began to feel suspicious. “That was rather easy to get all of you to come with me. I’m glad but…”

Ted said, “A hybrid of human and water demon for a Captain? Too cool to say no to!” Ed voiced his agreement.

Rammus said, “I’ve been sailing under you too long to quit now.”

“I want to see this through,” Scully said. More men voiced their agreement.

I gave all of them a flat look. “Any more sappy, heartfelt answers floating around?” I asked dryly.

Sauna said, “The pay’s muy bueno.” The rest of the crew laughed.

I pointed at him. “That’s the answer I was looking for! Now get back to work you crazy greedy bastards.” I said it all with a genuine smile. I knew Sauna’s statement was a humorous truth. I paid them well not only in compensation for the danger factor, but also for putting up with my curse.

My crew filed out, Jacobi hobbling away on crutches. Ed and Ted approached me and squeezed me in a group hug. “Glad to be a part of the crew, Captain,” Ed said.

I gave them a stoic smile. “Don’t ever hug me again.” The techies laughed and Ed smacked my rear. I went wide-eyed. “Or that.” Mido laughed. “Good god, how does Sauna put up with you two?”

“Pretty well,” Ted said.

“Yeah, we caught him once on our second day,” Ed said. “We asked him if he wanted any help but he just ignored us. Apparently he’s used to everyone walking away every time you’ve caught him.”

“Yep,” I said unhappily, my mind going back to memories I did not want to remember.

“Well,” Ted said mischievously, “I put my hands down the back of his pants and he flew out of his chair like a Mexican jumping bean.” The two giggled. “Haven’t caught him since.”

Ed said, “He gave us such a nice view before that mast went down.”

After spending a few hours trapped with a monster, then being told she was needed to help lift a curse, Jessie needed to lie down and think for a bit. She’d had a nice, quiet breakfast with Mido right before the talk, but now she felt like she was crashing from a long adrenaline rush. On top of that her brain still had the energy to race with questions.

She leaned against Mido for comfort as everyone but Dyne filed out. Men left in both directions while chatting among themselves about the day’s schedule and Dyne’s curse. “I need to lie down for a bit,” she whispered to Mido.

“Okay.” He let go and followed her to her cabin.

It was still a little nerve-wracking to have a man behind her, standing or walking. The pigs on Tethys’s ship had taken her from behind most of the time. All any of the men on Dyne’s ship had to do was tackle her small frame and that would be the end of her struggle. Since it was just Mido behind her, it was easier to push past her knee-jerk panic reaction and calm down.

She traversed the hall with no one the wiser to her brief emotional spike. She didn’t know why Mido was following her at the moment. She’d assumed he had to start getting lunch ready. She wasn’t going to complain, though. His company always made her calmer, or at least calm down faster, especially his kisses to the top of her head. He also made her feel safer. He was protection from others.

Jessie stopped inside her cabin and faced Mido. He stopped in the doorway, his expression contented. That contentedness drew her to him. She just wanted to stay in that positive energy bubble. She leaned forward and gave him a hug.

He returned the hug, gentle but firm. “I’m a lucky man today. Do you mind if I stay with you for a few minutes?”

“Not at all. I just need to lie down.”

“I can work with that.” He slipped past her and reached inside the bottom bunk. Jessie heard the clunk of two latches, and then the raised side of the bunk rotated so it lay horizontal. “Have a seat.” He patted the varnished wood.

She sat on the newly created space and marveled at the brass latches. “I didn’t know my bunk could do this.”

“They all do. Makes changing sheets and replacing mattresses easier.” He knelt before her and began untying her boot laces.

“I can do that myself, you know,” she said, but made no move to stop him.

“I want to do it for you,” he said in that tone Jessie recognized as his “don’t bother arguing” voice.

“I know.” He looked up with a straight face. Making eye contact made them both smile and Jessie’s chest flutter.