Chapter Ten;
Chasing Ghosts

"Bomber." Bomber's eyes snapped up as she walked down the main hall, lost in her own thoughts, the next day. It was just after lunch, quiet and she had no duties. The perfect time to let her thoughts get to her and remind her how spectacularly messed-up her life had suddenly become. The eyes she met were a deep green and she gave them a smile. He spoke again. "Bomber, we should talk about your work with the boarding party. We've been dancing around the issue for four days now, but, well, it's about time I told you – I'm very disappointed by your actions the other day." Bomber's smile fell as she fell into step beside Jack as they walked down the main hall back the way she had just come. "You are my XO on that boarding party Bomber and I need to be able to count on you to follow my actions, if only to keep the rest of them in line. The other day you were moody, difficult and blatantly ignored my rules to hold down the bridge."

Bomber sighed. She'd never realised how much Jack relied her to give a good face to the younger sailors, but suddenly it made sense. She was like the Buffer – a line between the boss and the juniors. And now it appeared she'd threatened that trust. "I didn't know…"

"Well, you should. It's your last chance Bomber. I can't have any more dissent in my boarding party, especially not now." They paused outside the Messdecks. Jack pushed open the door to the senior sailor men's room, which was right across the hall from the women's. "Okay Bomber?"

"Okay." Bomber gave Jack a smile. "Yes sir." He smiled and left the hall. Pushing the door to the female Messdeck open she attempted to find a moment to regather herself and fight off the urge to hit something, alas her plans at peace were interrupted when she found Spider standing in the room, waiting for her. He looked up as she shut the door and she frowned. "What do you want?" She asked, ignoring him and going to her bunk to grab the book she'd left there that morning.

He turned and watched her, leaning up against the bunk behind him, Dee's bunk, as she sat down on the bottom bunk and opened her book, curling her legs under her. "We need to talk."

"Mhm." Bomber didn't look up, just muttering an indifferent answer in the hope he'd give up and leave her in peace.

"Bec, look at me." He snapped, taking a step towards her. She didn't let him see she was startled, just slowly raising her eyes to him. "We need to talk – about what you said the other day."

She feigned not knowing what he was talking about. "Oh yeah, what was that?"

"You know." She didn't even blink. "Fine, if we won't talk then I'll talk and you can listen." He said in a voice she never thought she'd hear from Spider. His anger rarely came out, but this time it was there to be seen by any unfortunate person who happened to walk into the room. "You're clearly angry at me about how I left the Hammersley."

"Clearly." Bomber said, her eyes going back to her book as she pretended she didn't want to hear what he was about to say. But she couldn't deny she had always been intrigued by why he'd left after all. Whether her suspicions had been correct…

"Whatever." He took a seat at her desk and she glanced up as he started to play with a small figurine of a dolphin she'd left on her desk. It was her nephew Alexander's but it somehow found it's way into her collection. She'd always liked dolphins. "Do you even care why I left?"

She shrugged. "I think I know." He lowered an eyebrow, asking how she knew, and she shut her book and looked up. "It was your broken heart."

"My what?"

She pushed herself off the bunk and wandered over the opposite side of the room, placing a distance between them. Over here she found a small collection of candles and guessed they were Dee's. Typical Dee, leaving her things all over the room as if she owned the place. The female Messdeck, a small two-roomed area that held enough room for 10 women, had only two occupants. To make up for it Dee seemed to have decorated both sides of the room. Bomber smiled softly and shook her head. Then, remembering Spider was still there, she glanced up at him. "Your broken heart Spider. It was 2008, Samaru had just finished and then we lose the Hammersley too. I thought it might be too much, seeing as you were still pining over Carly Walsman."

Spider frowned. "Carly Walsman?" He had a look on his face like he'd only just remembered her, but in a flash that many would call jealously Bomber doubted that. "You think this is about Carly Walsman?" Bomber nodded, her eyes going off him again as she found herself fascinated by one of the ribbons on a light blue candle. "It's not about Carly Walsman or Samaru or the Hammersley. The truth is, I didn't want to become ET."

Bomber lowered her eyebrows. "What?" She really didn't understand him this time.

He explained. "ET and Nav. The Hammersley made their relationship but nearly cost them it too." She looked up at him then. "Do I have to say it?"

Bomber put down the candle. "Stop being stupid Spider. This isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny." He protested, moving towards her. "I'm serious. I thought you knew that."

"So you want me to seriously believe you left because you liked me?" He nodded but she laughed in his face. "Yeah right Spider. How dumb do you think I am?"

But in her protests he could see something else. Denial. He played on it. "Fine, look me in the eyes right now and tell me you never considered the same."

She looked up at him. "Never." But she was careless. She hadn't been looking him in the eyes and he'd noticed. He took a step towards her again, pinning her between the empty bunk and the desk covered in candles. His eyes bore into hers and she looked away. "Maybe once, but I left those stupid feelings behind ages ago."

"Sure?" He whispered, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.

She looked up at him again and realised she was wrong. She hadn't. Not once. It was why it had hurt so much when he'd left then returned completely out of the blue. It hurt so much she'd hated him for it. But underneath that anger and pain was still the burning question – what would she do if he returned? Now was the time to find out…

"Billy." She returned, placing a hand on his chest torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer. "I…"

She was interrupted by a voice over the PA system. It was Nero. "Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations."

Bomber came to her senses and pushed him back, ducked past him to the door and pulled it open forcefully. "C'mon, we have work to do."

"Bec…" He said, frowning at her.

"No." She snapped. She shook her head. "Just… no." Then she left, disappearing from sight quickly. With a sigh Spider followed her from the room.