Disclaimers: Usually applied. Sinbad and his crew belongs to Ed Naha and Atlantis, I'm just using them for fun, so don't sue, pretty please?

Electra's note: I've been thinking about this one for a few days, and I'm enough satisfied with the results to post it here. This missing scene follows the credits at the end of "The Bully". I always felt odd about Sinbad being in distress and Maeve not questioning about it. Hope you'll enjoy it! :D

First was Doubar, leaving the cargo hold to start his shift.
Then was Firouz, starting to snore peacefully.
Then was Dermott, screeching from the net above the cargo hold, pointing out its disagreement on the night arrangements.
Then was Omar, complaining somewhere not far ahead for the bed. HER bed.
Then were Omar's servants, cooing their master as squealing little girls.

Then…

Maeve was ready to kill someone when the door of the cargo hold opened again, letting in a rather tired looking Sinbad. The captain quirked an eyebrow when he saw the sorceress sitting in distress on her straw, arms crossed on her chest.
"Hey…" he greeted softly, shooting a glance to the sleeping forms of Firouz and Rongar curled on their sides before moving carefully through the cargo hold, balancing his covers and a candle in his arms.
"Don't hey me." She huffed, glancing in resignation to Firouz still snoring before following Sinbad moves until he reached her side, placing his covers on the straw next to her.
"Rough night…?" he half-smiled, nodding to the inventor in amusement.
"ROUGH?" Maeve snapped in rage, making the captain shush her quickly "Rough?!" she hissed beneath her teeth, glaring at the captain after a deep breath. "The battle has been rough. This… is… a nightmare! Sharing the cargo hold with a bunch of noisy sailors… Repeat me again, why couldn't we leave Omar on that island and send any ship of his to collect him and his annoying servants? The cyclop was gone, he could have survived…"

"He's a friend of mine, Maeve… and he has a reign waiting for him. I couldn't leave him on a forgotten island to wait for a ship… so, you'll have to be patient and share the cargo hold with us, since Omar took your cabin and his servants managed to take the space of four people, even being just two." Sinbad smiled quietly, smirking at the huffing sorceress "I'm sorry you had to sign your privacy away for a while, but come on, it's not going to be that bad, I promise. I'll tell the guys to be more quiet, starting from tomorrow… and I'll make someone put hammocks in place of these straws…" he ended with a snort, adjusting his makeshift bed.

Maeve took another deep breath, watching him in the dim light of the candle in silence. She smiled after a while, wrinkling her nose before lowering her gaze and moving her hairs out of her face.
"Well… thank you." She said with a hesitant smile.
"You're very welcome, Maeve. Now… shall we try to sleep? I promise I'm going to kick Firouz awake if he becomes too loud…" Sinbad smirked.
"Aye aye captain…" the sorceress smiled back, blowing out the candle Sinbad was still holding before curling on her straw, adjusting her cloak under her head.

"Sinbad…?" she whispered after a mere couple of minutes spent listening to Firouz.
"Aye, Maeve…?"
"I was worried about you." She confessed, biting her lower lip, turning on her side to face the captain's silhouette, barely visible in the moonlight filtering from the net above them. Sinbad stayed silent for a moment, and Maeve could feel him shift a little in her direction.
"I took a small detour in the dark side… but that only made returning to light more beautiful and fulfilling than ever. Sometimes you've to dig in the darkness you hide in your heart, to make it disappear for good…" Sinbad whispered calmly. "I'm back, by the way."
"It's good to have you back captain." The Celtic sorceress smiled, feeling the soft touch of his knuckles grazing her face and quickly wrapping her fingers around his, squeezing his hand. "And I'm sorry I didn't come to you earlier. But… I couldn't."

Sinbad let her words linger between them for moment, his fingers caressing absent-mindedly her hand.
"Why not?" he asked disappointed, shifting on his side to face the sorceress in the darkness.
"Come on, Sinbad… how could I ask you to lean on me and tell me what was bothering you… when I can't do the same…? There is some darkness hidden in my heart I can't deal to face yet." she sighed in defeat, snuggling in her cloak with a small groan. The captain pondered in silence her words for a moment, before shaking slightly his head. "Come here…" he mumbled, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist, dragging her close to his chest. Maeve tensed for a moment before letting go and hug him back, hiding her face on his shoulder and allowing his embrace to soothe for a moment the aches in her soul. Sinbad nested his head on top of hers, keeping her close for a while before daring to speak again.

"It took me three quarters of my life to face those demons of mine, Maeve… when time will come, you'll know. And that darkness will disappear, leaving you as free as I'm feeling today." Sinbad pointed out, feeling her smile against his neck before she shifted in his arms to look at him. She was so close that he could make out her features even in the darkness, as he tenderly placed an auburn lock out of her face.
"I don't know, Sinbad. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be free …" she mumbled, lowering her gaze with a melancholic smile.
"This is about Rumina, isn't it?"
"As always. My whole life is about Rumina." She sighed with a frown "The witch is still out there, alive and free to conjure tragedies on innocent people… And it's not like I'm stepping any further in my training without a real mentor around. How am I supposed to defeat her?"
"Don't underestimate yourself, Maeve…"
"I don't… believe me, I don't." the sorceress chuckled sadly, stiffening in his arms while untangling carefully from his grasp. "We should sleep, captain… or tomorrow I'll end up roasting with a fireball one of those servants of Omar's, and you'll fall asleep on the tiller, making us lose the route to Basra…" she mumbled, stirring a smile. Sinbad stared at her retreating form, nodding quietly.

"Good night, Maeve." He mumbled, with a deep sigh, before leaning back on his makeshift bed staring at the part of sky he could see from the ceiling.
"Good night, Sinbad." She whispered back in a choke, curling on her straw while fighting with the tears pooling in her eyes. It didn't take a lot of time before tiredness and frustration won on the Celtic sorceress pride, who did her best to muffle her crying in her cloak. She tensed for a moment when she felt a comforting hand being placed on her shoulder, then she reached back, and wrapped wordlessly Sinbad's arm around herself. The captain smiled at the gesture, making himself comfortable, soon welcoming a peaceful slumber.