Disclaimer: Temeraire and all characters were Created by Naomi Novik. I'm just a fan, imitating.

This story is set at the end Victory of Eagles before the events of Tongues of Serpents; SPOILERS

Chapter 1

A Parting

Captain Catherine Harcourt glared at her husband where they sat in the officer's mess in the Aerial Corps campus near Dover Covert. Tom Riley was rubbing his face in frustration and Catherine found herself struggling to hold on to her anger as he stared back at her with his brows raised pleadingly and his face colored in emotion. He was wearing his Navy uniform, all blue and brass, and his hair was pulled into a queue but a few stray strands hovered around his face like a halo and she was reminded of their voyage to Africa and the young Captain that held her up in spite of the conventions that should have kept them at odds.

"I'm leaving today—at some point…" Riley said, "We're just waiting for the tide now. I really would have liked—"

"They are good people and they're used to handling these things. Admiral Roland entrusted them with Emily when she—"

"But I don't even know who—"

"What difference does it make, really?"

"Catherine, I just want what's best for him. My family—"

Harcourt patted his arm and he let out a sigh of resignation, "Everything will come out well, you'll be back before he's out of the cradle—"

"But we can't promise the same about the harness," Admiral Jane Roland said, having entered the establishment and presently come up to them. Riley and Harcourt both stood out of courtesy but she waved them to sit down. Riley looked very worried at her interjection and withdrew to stare at his hands. Harcourt saw that Emily was with her and also Tharkay and she smiled in greeting.

"Harcourt," Admiral Roland said, "You remember Mister Tharkay."

"Tharkay," Harcourt said in greeting, and Tharkay gave her a nod in response.

"Well then," Admiral Roland said dismissively, "You have your business and I have mine. Come along Emily."

Emily glanced at them and followed after her mother to a private table. Tharkay did not move from where he stood. He looked at Riley and met Harcourt with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh Tharkay," she said with only a cursory glance in Riley's direction, "Please have a seat."

Tharkay sat opposite of Riley making sure to keep an empty place between Harcourt and himself. Riley raised his head and glared at him. Tharkay smiled slightly and offered his hand and Riley only hesitated a moment before accepting it.

"Captain Tom Riley of the Allegiance," He said.

"I'm Tharkay," Tharkay replied, "As we've already established."

Harcourt laughed and Tharkay's smile widened to Riley's dismay.

"You seem in a fine mood today," She said and Riley set a scrutinizing gaze on Tharkay.

"I've just settled my accounts here," Tharkay said and he couldn't help glancing at Riley who seemed very suspicious of him, "Admiral Roland is very generous."

"She's always done her best for us when she could," Harcourt said, "Are you going to stay on with us?"

"No," Tharkay said, "I have no interest in the military."

"A shame," Harcourt said, "You were a pleasure to serve with."

"You are very kind," Tharkay said and Riley's brows knit.

"It's not flattery, you've done more than your share in this. You brought us the feral dragons; you found Laurence and brought him back when we needed him. Not to mention everything…" She trailed off at Tharkay's look of dismay; she did not want to embarrass the man. "You would have done well with the Corps." She said finally, without noticing as Tharkay did, the color rising in Riley's face.

"I have another commitment," Tharkay said, "I'm going to New South Wales as soon as I can find passage."

Harcourt smiled and glanced at Riley but Riley looked at him darkly, "The Beatrice is scheduled to depart next month."

"Don't be silly, darling," Harcourt said, "The Allegiance departs today."

"Today?" Tharkay said.

"The Beatrice will likely arrive before us, provided there are no delays in her departure," Riley said, "I wouldn't want you to be rushed in your preparations before leaving England."

"No, actually I've been ready to leave for a while now," Tharkay smiled again, "I don't really have a reason to wait."

"Tharkay is an amazing fellow," Harcourt said, "You two should get along famously."

"I'm sure you can make other arrangements, Mister Tharkay," Riley said.

"Tom, " Harcourt said, and they looked at each other silently for several moments.

"My dear…" Riley started to say but found himself at a loss, "Perhaps you'd like to take a walk with me, darling?"

"Tom, what—?" Harcourt said but Tharkay stood then and put up his hands in resignation.

"No, I can see I've come upon you at an inopportune time. I shall leave," he said and turned abruptly and exited the establishment. Harcourt thought he looked amused and she was almost sad to have such a convenient distraction excuse himself from their arguments. She turned back to Riley to find him red faced and seething.

"Who is that?" Riley said with accusation permeating his words. Harcourt smiled innocently at him.

"That's just Tharkay," she said, "Really Tom do you think me so low that I would find interest in a wild man such as that? You've never been so jealous around dear Matthew."

"That's because Berkley is fat and slovenly and cannot compare to me!"

"You're so rude Tom," Harcourt said and laughed, "What about Warren or Chenery? Certainly you you're not jealous of them? Or John Granby? He's a handsome fellow and tall too. Taller than you."

"You're trying to make me crazy," Riley said his anger now cold and dissipated when he realized he was being silly.

"You're already quite mad Tom Riley," she said and crossed her arms, "What man of good holding would insist on marrying a dragon's captain, knowing full well that she would have greater commitments outside of his influence and that she worked constantly in a world crowded with other men."

"I really do love you," Riley said quietly and almost desperate.

"I know," Harcourt replied, "But perhaps our contentment lies in working within the limitations placed around us and not against them. I wish you would just trust me with the boy and not let it interfere with your job. Also, while you're off dragging those poor souls to the other side of the world, you might find it comforting to inure yourself to the company of aviators. These are my people and you will always be among them so long as you insist on remaining my husband."

Riley crossed his arms, "I've had the post aboard the Allegiance since before we ever met, so certainly I've met my fair share of aviators. Will Laurence is a close friend of mine."

Harcourt rolled her eyes, "Laurence is something else all together."

"Mister Tharkay!" Riley called as he jogged across the field of the covert to where Tharkay was standing with a small blue and white dragon. He looked away once to where Harcourt was striding along to see her dragon Lily.

Tharkay looked at him but did not move to approach him. Nor did he meet Riley's eye when he arrived, but focused instead where his hands were occupied in coiling a long leather strap. Riley startled and stepped back when the dragon turned her great head in his direction. She made a sharp chirping sound and then uttered something in the harsh words of a foreign language.

"Is it Mongolian?" Riley said still startled.

Tharkay smiled and answered the dragon before looking back and answering Riley, "Durzagh. It is a draconic language spoken in the Pamirs and some parts of the Karakorum. Her name is Gherni and she offers a salutation."

"Tell her hello back," Riley said finally relaxing enough to approach them. He watched Tharkay fit the coiled leather into his kit and stand before addressing him again. "Catherine tells me you are friends with Laurence?"

Tharkay only shrugged noncommittally in reply.

"I would be happy to offer you passage to New South Wales as my guest. I understand that it can be a great deal easier to suffer so long a trip when there are friends along with."

"That is very thoughtful of you," Tharkay said.

"Will you be ready to depart today?" Riley said.

"I'm ready," Tharkay said.

"Good then," Riley said, "We are still not sure if we are leaving today, but I wanted to have everyone embarked and secured. I'm just waiting on a couple of the aviators and the eggs."

"I will be delivering one of them," Tharkay said.

"Good," Riley said. He made no move to leave but stared at Tharkay's exotic face for several long moments until Tharkay's brow went up inquisitively. "Are you Indian or Chinese?"

Riley's face held an earnest expression with no sign of malice and Tharkay grinned broadly at him. "Which would be more agreeable to you?"

The color rushed into Riley's face and he looked away embarrassed, "No it isn't—I don't know if Laurence has told… I was only curious…"

"Well, my good man," Tharkay said, "I am as British as you are." Tharkay said something in Durzagh to Gherni and then hoisted his kit and walked away. Riley frowned after him.

"They all think I'm some kind of idiot," he said aloud to himself. Gherni chirped and cocked her head to the side and peered at him questioningly. Riley startled and stepped back from her, "Nice dragon," he coaxed before making his retreat.

He saw Tharkay again on the flight back to London. Harcourt had given him the tent again, though he had to admit, dragon back was not a terrible way to travel. Tharkay's dragon was much smaller than Lily and gray with a few garish splashes of red. The man was standing near the base of the dragon's neck with the wind pulling at the lowered hood of his strange oriental coat and the fur of his domed hat and Riley could not help thinking it strange that Laurence would count such a strange fellow his friend.

Harcourt seemed to be avoiding him after they landed in the covert. He couldn't help the feeling that things had not been properly settled. He did not relish the prospect of so long a journey with his care and worry turned home. At least he had been able to follow her while ashore. He waited alone in the lobby of one of the buildings set aside for the Aerial Corps administrative use. Harcourt had gone with Admiral Roland and no one had spoken to him, not even a proper good bye.

"Catherine," he said as soon as she appeared in the lobby again. Her eyes widened and she rushed to meet him tugging him by the sleeve toward the door.

"Tom! I thought you'd have gone!" She said in clipped exasperation, "Surely you will miss the tide if—"

"Catherine, I will be gone for more than a year," he said, "When I return my son will be walking and talking and I will be a stranger only lately come into his life—"

"Tom," she hissed at him as they exited the building, "We've already discussed this! Repeating it won't make it any easier to bear."

"Lily is not so large, surely she can help in the colony," he blurted petulantly and Harcourt put her hands to her temples in frustration.

"I need to stay here," she said.

"Come to the harbor with me," Riley pleaded, "Send me off, please."

"You're making this harder on yourself," she said and started walking toward the covert. She had moved only a few paces along when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him hard enough that she fell against him. "Tom!" she protested.

"You're my wife, Catherine," he said, "I don't want to leave—"

Harcourt put her arms around his neck and kissed him silent. His arms slid around her waist and he opened his mouth into hers unconscious of the scandalized spectators in the street around them. Harcourt pulled away from him finally and pushed him forcefully back she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, but she was laughing.

"Go!" she said and waved out toward a hack stand on the other side of the street.

"I love you Catherine," Riley said and turned to leave.

"I love you Tom!" She shouted back, "But you've got to keep your head, dear! Have a safe journey!"

Riley jogged toward the street but turned back to her while in the middle of it to shout, "I'll write you every week. Though I can't know what the post will be like and I can't guarantee it will arrive so often. But—"

"Tom! Go!" Harcourt interrupted, "You'll be run over and then you'll really be late for your departure!"

Riley frowned as he turned and jogged toward the hack stand and climbed into the first carriage available. He watched her until she disappeared from his view.

He was late coming aboard and went directly to his cabin to brood, crossing the deck as quickly as he could and hoping no one noticed. But then they were bound to notice the Captain. He sighed heavily and stared out of his windows at the harbor skyline, a thickly jumbled mass of masts and rope at once menacing in their avaricious reach toward the gray sky and also comfortingly familiar. He nearly leapt from his chair when Purbeck knocked on his door and entered to tell him that the gangplank had been removed and that they were prepared to get underway.

Riley returned to the weather deck with barely concealed reluctance and gave the order to weigh anchor. He remained there until the sails had been unfurled and quietly left Purbeck to the task of navigating the large transport out of the harbor and into the channel. He was back in his room to watch the white cliffs fade into an ever-distant horizon as the Allegiance headed into open water.

A/N:

Thanks for reading!

Also, I want to apologize to anyone who is following; I have a very short attention span and I can only amuse myself by the momentum of constant change. LOL!

If you hadn't noticed, I am working on three stories at once—well, if you really must know, there are actually 5! It helps me when I get stuck to work on something else. I do plan on finishing them and all of them are outlined, so give me a chance.

This is going to be a shorty—less than 10 chapters, but probably more than five. I know this has been done before—you know the horribly vague 8-month journey to New South Wales—but I still haven't found one that I really liked. And there's so many questions left unanswered!

Having had the wonderful opportunity in life to be isolated for long periods of time with people that I knew on professional level and suddenly got intimate with out of necessity (not dirty kind of intimate—just a "OMG I never wanted to know that about you but now I do and can never unlearn that" kind of intimate), I'm hoping I can tap into that and make this story fun.

Sorry if you're expecting slash. I just don't have the ability to write it. (sure, I'll read it sometimes…)

POV will be shifting. Harcourt/Riley, Granby, Laurence, Temeraire, Iskierka, Emily… etc.