I apologize if it seems as if I disappeared - I assure you, I have not given up on this story. I did disappear for a vacation to New England. How I wish I was still back there, but instead also with my laptop so I could have written during some of the downtime (the few I had). Traveling always gets me in the mood to write. I find these little places that awaken the muse inside of me...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to The New Adventures of Sinbad - all this recognition goes to the Creater, Ed Naha.

When Bryn entered the tavern, she did not see the man she was looking for right away. As she scanned the room, she found a space for herself to stand at the bar to keep a lookout. From where she stood she could see where the crew was sitting. They were among the three long tables in the center of the room. Doubar saw her just at the same time she did them and gestured for her to come over with a wave of his hand. She only smiled and shook her head slightly. She saw confusion in his eyes and saw his eyes look past her. Over her shoulder she could see Anders and Sinbad were about to walk by her to get to the crew's table. Anders paused long enough to tell her that she should look upstairs. She nodded her head in understanding as he continued to walk ahead. She forgot about upstairs. The last time she was at the tavern, it was not open to the public. Another level was just above the bar of where she sat that looped around the room. A small bar was stationed above the entrance. As she looked up, she saw that only a few people congregated there.

"Would you care for a drink, miss?" The bartender in front of her captured her attention.

Bryn felt bad that she was taking up a space at the bar empty handed. She ordered something she could finish quickly; a shot of whiskey. As she placed the empty glass back onto the counter she could feel the cool, smooth sting of the drink coating her throat and warm her belly. She smiled at the bartender and pushed herself away from the bar to find the stairwell that would take her upstairs. It's time to get this over with, she thought.

xxxx

Doubar watched his brother's blues eyes follow Bryn upstairs. He knew what was going through his mind. He knew Sinbad would rather be by her side than at their table at this moment. He looked at Anders and saw his eyes following Bryn as well. He spoke to the table. "Do you guys think she will get anything out of this guy?"

Firouz shrugged, "She's pretty easy to talk to." He glanced at Sinbad to see if he would say anything. All he got was a nod in agreement. He sensed that his Captain was not in a very good mood.

Velda glanced at the quiet table and frowned. "I am sorry that all this is happening. Look at all of you. How can you enjoy the evening with my problems on your shoulders?"

"You're problem is my problem, Velda." Firouz stated. "You know I always want to help. I am here for you."

"Our problem." Sinbad smiled with that correction.

Velda felt touched. She was surrounded by very well company. "You guys are amazing."

Doubar laughed. "We've been called worst things, Lass. I like the sound of 'amazing'."

xxxx

As Bryn reached the top of the landing, the space upstairs was bigger than she expected. Along the back wall there were high tables and high chairs to sit at. She scanned the area and found The Sea Maiden's crew standing at the bar.

"Bryn!" Over here!"

Bryn turned her head towards a familiar voice. She recognized the face as well. She greeted him with a smile as she approached his table. "Hello, Thayer."

Thayer patted an empty seat next to him. "Sit and keep me company for a while."

Bryn was about to decline but soon realized Thayer could be of some help to her. As she pulled out the wooden chair in front of her to take a seat, Thayer mentioned that he saw members of her crew downstairs earlier. He wondered what she was doing upstairs. "I am actually looking for someone." She glanced towards the bar.

Thayer held out his arms to present himself. He gave her a cheeky smile. "Well, you've found him!" He joked with a wink. He was pleased to see her smile. He noticed a serving maid not too far from their table and caught her attention with a raise of his hand. "What would you like to drink?"

Bryn held out a hand to stop him but as soon as serving maid showed up, he ordered them each a round of sweet red wine. She took in a breath when she saw that she was too late to speak up. "You didn't have to do that." She watched the serving maid walk away. At least it's not ale. She wasn't feeling very thirsty at all. "Thank you anyway."

"My pleasure." Thayer replied. He noticed her glance towards the bar again. "Who were you looking for exactly?"

Bryn gave a small laugh at how she was going to answer this before replying. "I actually don't know his name." She paused as she gathered her thoughts. "Perhaps you can help me?"

Thayer was intrigued and a smile formed on his lips. "Who is the lucky man that caught your attention? If I know him, I would be more than happy to make introduction. Although, naturally, I am disappointed that he is not the man sitting in front of you right now." He joked.

"It's not like that." Bryn laughed. "See that group of men over there? They work on a ship called The Sea Maiden. Anders saw one of them at the clinic that night of the fire. He broke into the clinic and ran off before we could question him."

"There has been some talk in town about Velda having trouble with the Lawrence's." Thayer commented. "I thought all that died down awhile back."

"Lawrence's?" Bryn repeated. "All I know of is Todd and his wife; who seems to keep to herself."

"One of those men is Todd Lawrence's little brother." Thayer pointed out. "Theo Lawrence. The big one, actually."

Just as Bryn looked to the bar again, she saw Theo stand up. He was just having a conversation with the bartender. Something the bartender told him made him finish his drink fast. She watched Theo walked towards a door at the back of the room. He opened it and she saw that it was a door that led outside. As the door slowly started to close she saw a glimpse of Theo go down the wooden staircase. "Where do you think his is going?"

"My guess is to visit Todd. The bartender must have just told him of the scene Todd displayed earlier. He certainly did not leave in the best of moods." Thayer replied. He watched Bryn stand up. "Where are you going?"

"I still need to speak with him." Bryn answered. "I will be right back." She was not going to lose him this time. She quickened her pace to the door and pushed it open. At the top of the stairwell, she could see Theo only a short distance away. She bolted down the stairs to catch up with him.

This could be awkward. She thought as she got closer. I didn't really think this through. She knew she needed to get his attention. "Theo! Wait up!"

Theo turned at the call of his name. The person, a woman walking towards him, wasn't someone he knew. As she got closer, he knew that he's seen her before within the city these past few days; a traveler. "Yes?"

xxxx

Doubar placed a heavy hand on his brother's shoulder as he stood next to him at the bar. The hour was growing late and he came to let him know that Firouz, Velda, Anders and Rongar have decided to walk back to her house. "Everyone has had their fill of ale and wine. Looks like Velda is about to pass out." He chuckled at the idea. "Any sign of our Bryn?"

Sinbad gave a heavy sigh before responding. "I was told by Thayer, the bladesmith, she went outside to speak with Theo."

"Now who's Theo?" Doubar's brow winkled in confusion.

Sinbad answered his question with a gestured hand, "Anders' friend, the bearded man."

Doubar sensed there was something wrong. There was a hint of irritation coming from that statement. "What is bothering you, Sinbad?"

"If Anders had a problem with speaking with the bearded…Theo; he should have said something in the first place instead of throw someone else into it." Sinbad spoke in a hushed tone. "He should have followed through."

"I am sure he didn't think about it at the time he was assigned to the task." Doubar stated. "I don't see him handing off his duties while we are on the ship. He may have seen a better way to handle Theo as soon as Bryn joined him on The Nomad." He saw Sinbad slightly shake his head. There was something else on his mind. "What now?"

Sinbad took a last swig of his ale to empty it before replying. He chose to let it go. "It's nothing." He nodded his head towards the door, knowing his crew were on the other side of it waiting. "You go ahead. I will follow soon with Bryn."

Doubar nodded his head and gave Sinbad a firm pat on his back. He turned to the door and paused. Bryn just entered. "Soon has turned into now, Sinbad. Here she comes."

Sinbad turned his head and saw Bryn walking towards them. She appeared fine. She looked at him and Doubar apologetically.

"I am sorry that took longer than expected." Bryn said to both of them. "Velda and the rest of the guys are just leaving for the house." She gestured over her shoulder.

"You were gone for a while. How did it go?" Sinbad placed a hand on her arm. "You okay?" He asked softly.

She nodded her head. "We talked for some time. The bearded man, his name is Theo. He is brothers with Todd." She explained.

"He must be in on it to make Velda's life hell than." Doubar stated with a shake of his head.

"Yes and no." Bryn replied. "He knows what Todd is doing is wrong and is quite ashamed of it. He wants Todd to move on as much as anyone else in this town, but is unsure how to do it. Todd has seen some dark days these past few months. He lost his baby and lost his wife. He is miserable."

"Misery loves company." Doubar pointed out.

"His wife?" Sinbad repeated. "What happened to his wife?"

"She left him." Bryn answered. "A week ago. " She saw realization on both of their faces.

"This is why he's been acting up. Burrell said he thought Todd was doing better since the lost of his baby this past month. Now that his wife left him, it's has brought him to this state of hate and misery." Doubar relayed. He looked at Sinbad. "What now?"

Bryn answered quickly. "I want to talk to Todd. Help him."

"Burrell is going to pay him a visit tomorrow morning. Do you think it would be a good idea for you to go with him?" Sinbad asked.

"Yes, I think so. Theo will be there. He is there now." Bryn nodded her head. "I think with Theo's presence, the conversation will go smoother."

xxxx

In the middle of the night, Velda reach out a hand and hesitated outside one of her guest room's doorway. This is silly. She shook her head and convinced herself that it was nothing, but had to be certain that was true. She knocked on the door gently. "Firouz." No one answered. She turned the handle and peaked in. The first sound she heard was shallow breathing and heavy snoring coming from Doubar. The moonlight gave her enough visibility to tip toe her way over to Firouz's bed. She placed a hand on his arm and gently shook him awake. "Firouz," she said in a whisper.

Firouz mumbled incoherently as he woke. He heard Velda's voice again and immediately opened up his eyes. He slowly sat up as he spoke quietly. "Velda? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"I thought I heard something outside." Velda grabbed a hold of his arm. She felt Firouz slowly swing his feet off the bed to rise. As he stood up, she still held onto his arm. "I wanted you to look with me." Velda whispered. "I am worried someone is trying to get in."

Firouz nodded his head and they both exited the guest room quietly, to not disturb Doubar. The house was quiet and the tile on his feet felt cool, which helped him as he tried to wake his mind up from sleep. He heard a scratch from a match that soon illuminated the room. Velda stood with a lamp in hand, peering out a window.

"Oh, Firouz!" Velda exclaimed. "I was so sure I heard someone. It could have just been the wind!"

"If it was someone, you may have deterred them away with that lamp." Firouz replied. He looked out a different window and saw no movement. Although, he knew there was a chance someone could be out there. Bryn had the same feeling the first night they stayed. The morning following that, a disturbing note was placed on Velda's entrance.

"I am sorry to have woken you over nothing, it seems." Velda shrugged. "I guess I am a little jumpy. It is silly really." She shook her head with a sigh.

Firouz strode over to hear and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No, Velda. It is not silly. You have every right to feel nervous, considering your week. I am just glad we are here to help you during this time."

An idea came to Velda's mind. She stood in silence for a moment unsure if she could voice it. A battle was going on in her mind on whether or not she should. "Firouz?" She said softly. He looked at her waiting for her to continue. "Will you stay with me tonight? Sleep in my room, that is." She said shyly. "It would really help me get some sleep. Help my nerves. "

"Yes." Firouz answered in one word. "Let's go to bed."

Velda smiled and nodded her head as she took a hold of his hand. "Thank you."

"I do have an elixir that might help with sleep." Firouz stated out loud. "Would you like some?"

Velda shook her head. "No. I think company will be my medicine for tonight. Please, don't bother with the elixir."