AN: Hello again! Just answering jane doubleday's question: I think Tom Wisdom is absolutely gorgeous, and I didn't realize he was in 300 until recently. I found him to be unbelievably sexy in The Boat That Rocked (this is the version I prefer...much better than the American Pirate Radio). Like I said, I really didn't have any intention of writing this story until I had a dream about him (basically, the part in my story where Midnight Mark flops down on the bench and throws Abby his famous 'How 'bout it then?' line is what happened in my dream, except he did it to me). Good luck with your story, and I'm glad you like this one! =)


Chapter 4

Not A Very Good Liar

Mark was done his show around 3 a.m. and sleepily made his way back to his room. He opened the door and took off his shirt, preparing to have a few hours sleep before dealing with what the morning had to bring. As he was taking off his boots, he heard a soft moan come from his bed.

"Oh fuck," he muttered. He had completely forgotten Abby was there. She moaned again and he moved closer to the bed to see if she was okay. Her dark hair was sprawled about the pillow, as if giving her a dark halo. Her left hand rested near her face, and the right hand had clasped the blanket to her chest as she faced the wall. She breathed deeply and evenly. The only word that he could use to describe how she looked was...beautiful. It felt weird to think about; the only time he had ever told a girl she was beautiful was to get in bed with her. Now, he actually meant it. He shook his head; he didn't know what the hell was going on with him anymore.

He saw her turn over and open her eyes slightly. He looked down and saw that he was only wearing his trousers. He panicked; she would probably think he was trying to shag her!

"Do you have another blanket, Mark?" He froze in place.

"N-no, I don't."

"It's cold. Come here." He waited a few moments before inching towards the bed. She reached out, her eyes now closed. He held out his hand and she grabbed it, pulling him down beside her. "You're so warm."

"Abby, I don't think..."

"Ssh," she interrupted him. "Don't move. I'm freezing." She had pushed him back so he was lying down on his side, facing her. She snuggled up to him, her forehead touching his chest. He heard her teeth lightly chattering. She was cold! "That's better," she sighed.

Mark stared at Abby, marvelling at how her face was so peaceful. After a few moments, he relaxed and dared to reach out and touch her. His fingertips lightly traced her face and he couldn't believe how soft her skin was. He smiled as he felt sleep come over him.

This girl was making him crazy, and he didn't seem to mind.


Abby woke up in a dark room, her eyes adjusting to the shadows. She saw a faint light coming from the corner of her eye. Suddenly she heard a light snore coming from beside her. She turned and saw Mark, without a shirt on, lying down with his arm carelessly thrown across her hip. Her eyes widened as she edged away from him, her anger rising with every second. Without thinking, she shoved him off the bed. He got up in a daze.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? You said you would leave me alone!" Abby practically yelled.

"I did."

"Oh, yeah? Then explain to me why we're sharing a bed and you've got your arm around me!"

Mark stood slowly and rubbed his face. "I had my arm around you?"

"Yes!"

"Well excuse me, but the only reason I was in bed with you in the first place was because you asked me to."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did! I came back from my bit, and I completely forgot you were sleeping in my room. I was about to leave when you told me to lie down with you because you were cold." Abby looked at him, stunned.

"I said that?" She then remembered her Dad telling her that sometimes she spoke in her sleep. "And you didn't try anything?"

"If I did, we'd probably both be naked right now. I like to think I'm better at taking clothes off than putting them back on." Abby looked down at herself and was shocked to see she was still dressed in what she was wearing the night before. She put her hand to her mouth, and blinked back tears.

"I'm sorry. I just...I get so defensive, especially when I'm around you."

"Why?"

"Because you're Midnight Mark! No woman is ever safe when she's around you, and it's hard for me to believe you're actually being sincere when you act nice to me. How do I know you don't just want to get in my pants?"

"I'll be honest. I'd love to shack up with you, but the Count would probably kill me and I can tell that you're not the kind of girl who falls for some sappy line. But I don't just want to shag. `I want to be friends with you."

"Friends? Why would Midnight Mark want to be friends with a woman besides Felicity?"

"Because I like you, damn it!" They stared at each other, both taken aback at Mark's sudden outburst.

"You like me?"

"Fuck. That's another reason why I don't talk. I say things I don't mean to say. You've turned everything upside down for me; I'm not acting the way I should around you. If I was on my game, or if you weren't so damned stubborn, then we would've done the deed months ago and I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure out why you make me nuts!"

"You like me? Are you putting me on? Because if you are-"

"Do you think I'm the type of guy that actually puts in this much effort with a girl? I'm fucking exhausted with you! You shoot me down constantly, and you can't see what's in front of your own nose. Yes, I like you. I like you a whole damn lot!" Abby looked down at the floor, and Mark panted heavily. He finally admitted it. He waited the explosion that he knew was inevitable. She slowly walked towards him. Here it comes, he thought as he mentally prepared himself for her rage. But to his surprise, there was no screaming, and no slapping of his face.

He hugged him. Tightly.

He stood still, not daring to move. Then he patted her stiffly on the back, and she looked up to him and smiled.

"You don't hug girls a lot, do you?"

"Why hug them when we can just shag?"

She laughed softly and he smiled. Then suddenly, an odd look appeared on her face.

"Do you mind if I try something?" He shook his head and watched her in amusement as she put her hands on his shoulders to lift herself up to his height. Slowly she moved her head closer to his, but then stopped, as if she was trying to make up her mind. He felt her breathing heavily, and his pulse began racing. He very nearly grabbed her then, but slowly moved his hands to rest on her waist instead, so he wouldn't alarm her. He could taste her breath; her mouth was so close, only millimetres away. He saw her close her eyes as she made up her mind.

"Mark! Are you awake?" Both Abby and Mark turned their heads to the door at the same time.

"Was that my dad?"

"Mark!" the voice was louder this time.

"Oh, fuck!" Mark whispered as Abby pushed herself away from him. Mark grabbed the nearest shirt he could find and threw it on, along with his boots. Abby ran into the bathroom and hid behind the door, leaving it partly open. Mark managed to pull himself together just in time, for the Count had swung the door open only seconds later.

"Morning," Mark said, taking a cigarette out of the box. He lit it carelessly, all the while his heart pounded in his chest.

"Do you know where Abby is?" Count asked. He was clearly worried. "I've been looking for her but no one's seen her."

"Last night," Mark said, and pointed to the ceiling.

"On deck? You sure?" Mark simply shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette. "Okay. That girl is gonna be the fucking death of me one of these days. Sorry to uh, bust in on you like that." The Count backed out of the room and closed the door, and Mark let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He saw Abby peer out of the bathroom, and motioned for her to come out. She giggled when she realized that she was safe.

"I gotta get going. If my dad finds me here he'll flip."

"I'll see you later," Mark said, laughing as he walked her to the door. He opened it and glanced down the hallway, making sure no one was coming. "Coast's clear." Abby double checked the hallway again and stepped out. Then she turned around to face Mark.

"Thanks for letting me sleep here," she said. He nodded, but noticed a playful glint in her eye and regarded her curiously. Before he knew it, she grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips. It didn't last for more than a few seconds, but when she pulled away, he felt as if his breath was sucked right out of him. She giggled again as she watched his reaction and ran down the hallway, not looking back at him. Mark closed the door to his room, and leaned against it.

He didn't even bother trying to make the goofy grin on his face disappear.


Next Morning.

Abby's punishment for nearly giving the Count a heart attack was laundry duty. He ordered her to go into every room and gather whatever the deejays deemed 'dirty clothes' and hand-wash them up on the deck. To his surprise, Abby didn't seem to mind; he didn't know that she preferred to do that than have him find out where she really was all night. At least it would keep her out of everyone's hair for the crew's annual 'Fan Come-Aboard' (that's what the Count called it) which happened to be today.

The music thundered through the boat as she went from room to room, the pile in her arms seeming to grow larger by the minute. Completely engrossed in her work, she subconsciously began moving to the music and eventually began singing along with the track as she entered Gavin's room.

"My love is aliiiiive way down in my heaaart, although we are miles apart. If you ever need a helping haaaand, I'll be there on the double, just as fast as I can. Don't you know that there's...WHOA!" She exclaimed when she felt a set of hands come around her waist and yank her back. She suddenly found herself pressed up against someone, tightly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Hey. Just because we got chummy last night, it doesn't mean you can sexually assault me whenever you feel like it," she, said sarcastically. She looked over her shoulder and found not Mark, whom she thought had grabbed her, but Gavin.

"What a marvellous singing voice you have. And will you please enlighten me on who you think you were just talking to?" he said silkily in her ear. She broke free of his grasp and stared at him.

"N-no one."

"You, Abigail, are not a very good liar. I can tell that one of these chaps on board has put a smile on that lovely face. Now come on and tell Gavin just who it was. Or wait," he said as he sat down on his bed and crossed his legs, "Maybe I can guess." Abby stood in front of him defiantly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"There's no point in doing that, because no one—"

"Mark."Abby gawked at him, open mouthed. Gavin smiled cheekily. "It's no use to lie, love. Your face is red as hell right now, that's proof enough." Abby's hands immediately went to her face. He was right, she was burning.

"How did you even guess it was him?" She didn't see the point in denying what he seemed to already know.

"I can tell by how he's been looking at you lately, like he's hungry for something he can't have. He usually gets that way when he sees a girl; any girl really. And am I right to assume he was finally successful?"

"No, he wasn't," Abby said, nostrils flaring. Did everyone think she was really that easy?

"Ah well, he'll get his way eventually. Always has and always will. When an attractive female is in his sights, they don't stand a chance. Did you know it only took him 30 minutes to get Young Carl's mum into his bed?"

"He slept with Carl's mom?"

"Yeah. We were all proud of him for that one, except for poor Carl of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a group of ladies on deck who are dying to hang on my every word. It would be rude of me not to oblige them." He stood and walked out of the room, leaving Abby alone. She bent to pick up the laundry she dropped. He slept with Carl's mom?

She finished up in Gavin's room and headed for the next one, which was Mark's. She immediately forgot about what Gavin had told her and blushed again as she remembered the events from the night before, as well as this morning. Maybe she was wrong to judge him so quickly; he did, after all, seem quite honest when he told her that he liked her. A lot, she mentally added, smiling brightly. When she opened the door, she saw that his bed was made again and she chuckled to herself as she searched his room for his laundry, but didn't find any. She shrugged her shoulders and headed back for the door, but just as she was about to leave, the door swung open.

"Abby?" Mark stood in the doorway, his arms holding two heavily made up blondes and a skinny brunette. His eyes were larger than Abby had ever seen them. The girls eyed Abby with a look of venom, and one reached out to put her hand through Mark's hair, obviously threatened by her presence.

"Hi. Just getting your laundry, but there isn't any so I'll be going now," Abby said, her voice nearly screeching. She was trying to act cheerful, but she was overdoing it, she knew. "Enjoy yourselves girls. Don't tire him out too much though, he's got a show to do later!" she said over her shoulder as she practically ran down the corridor. As she turned to go up the stairs, she saw Mark standing in the hallway, staring after her.

"Fuck."