A/N: Some relationships are going to either be gone for the Commander / Thunderer or changed as of this chapter, keep in mind that he had only known the girls in the first half of the story for roughly a week before he was nabbed, so not a lot of time to really build any meaningful relationships.

Part Eleven – The Big Picture

I found myself standing on the balcony that was just off of the master bedroom in the commander's quarters, leaning over the railing, looking at my hull sitting just offshore. I'd been up for what felt like an hour or so. My brow was furrowed as I kept racking it about the naughty Miss Clause from the party, I knew her, I just couldn't place the name yet… no real surprise in the week I had been here before being dragged off for my… transformation… I had met so many kansen.

My ears twitched as I heard the latch on the bedroom door open, followed quickly by Belfast saying, "It's time to get… oh… you're already up."

I sense as she comes to stand beside me, leaning forward to mimic my stance she asked, "Did you have fun last night?"

"I did, thanks for suggesting it." I say to her.

I look at her out of the corner of my eye and see her get a little red in the cheeks as I say to her, "I know you suggested I go, even if you made it sound like it wasn't a suggestion."

She smiled at me and shrugged as she said, "I figured you needed the nudge."

I nod as I agree with her, "I did. It showed me I could do it, I could walk that far, I could have fun…"

"From what I hear, you did a bit more than have some fun." She says, her tone hinting at something.

I shrug as I say, "All I did was kiss someone under the mistletoe… nothing else."

"True… from what I hear it was quite the kiss too." She says and playfully bumps shoulders with me.

"True, do you know who it was with? All I know is she has long blond hair, blue eyes, ample torpedo protection and is part of the eagle union." I say to her as I keep looking out over the water.

"Sorry, I had heard she had blue hair… So I had figured it was St. Louis." She said to me, taking a breath before saying, "Perhaps stop by their dorms to try and figure out who it was with?"

I laugh as I say, "Yes… that will end well… 'Hi, I made out with a blond with big boobs at the party last night; can you direct me to her?'"

Belfast starts to giggle as she says, "Alright, fair enough… sadly you just described a large part of their fleet."

I hang my head and sigh again as I ask, "What am I going to do?"

She shrugs as she says, "Find a potential mate to ward off the… less scrupulous."

I groan as I say, "You too?"

She laughs and says, "Your mother suggested that I broach the subject with you… she thinks you might be more inclined to hear it from someone other than her."

I give her a sideways glance and she flushes and trips over her own tongue as she stumbles out, "I... I'm not suggesting myself, far from it… Even within the fleets, there is a hierarchy. You should be looking for someone that will be of a similar station to you."

Running a hand over my head I let out another sigh before getting off the railing and walking back into the room as I say, "I'm going to get dressed… this could take a while to find something I can get away with now."

As Belfast is leaving my room she says to me, "In all seriousness, you should find out whom you spent some time with last night, it might impact the choices you make now."

As she shuts the door behind her, I start to wonder if she knows more than she's letting on right now…

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It took me a while to find a shirt that fits, each night that goes by I find that my body becomes broader in the shoulders, the muscles I have become more pronounced… it made the shirts I had and had fit me before this a little tight. A fact that I learned the hard way this morning when I took all the name tags, ribbons, and rank badges from and tried to do up. I had gotten it done up and moved both of my arms forward I heard a ripping noise from my back. Taking it off again and turning to see the damage I see that I had torn it in the back across the shoulders, with a heavy sigh I tossed it in the bin and dug around till I found a plane tee-shirt to put on, thankfully shorts still fit, if only just…

As I made my way down to the track field I had hoped to run into Marblehead, if only so that I could apologize for missing the movie date. However as I looked around I saw that she was clearly not here, I took out my phone and tried to call the number I had for her, but all I got back was a message saying that number was no longer in service. With a heavy sigh I stuffed it back into my pocket and made my way up to the Eagle Union dorms, from the direction I was approaching, I could see someone standing on the back porch, looking out at the water. A glance out there and I knew what they were looking at, me.

As I got closer she looked at me, short platinum blond hair, open white uniform jacket and she gave me this look of surprise before waving me over.

I hurried over to hear her say to me, "Huh, whatever you got up to for the last six months Sir, has really left an impression on ya."

Right… new look…

At least this one I remembered as I say, "What are you looking at Washington?"

She sips a drink and points as she says, "That black monster that's been sitting there for a week now."

She turns her attention back to me as she says, "No one in the port knows anything about it, or if they do, they're not saying."

I nod and move to stand beside her and ask, "What do you think about it?"

Washington shrugs then flips the question on me by asking, "I think it's Royal Navy, but the turrets make me think Iron-Blood. But if anyone would know anything, it'll be you."

She paused to drink her coffee before asking, "Is it an old-style ship with a full crew or is it kansen?"

I sigh inwardly before I say, "Kansen. And your right, it's Royal Navy."

She nodded and leaned forward again before asking, "Have they come ashore yet? I've not heard about any new kansen on base yet…"

I mimic her stance and I think about how to broach the subject as I say, "I think they have…"

Washington was about to ask me something when from behind I heard the voice from last night, "Washy, have you seen my good bikini top? I want to do some sunbathing down on the beach today…"

I look over my shoulder and I see her, the blond from last night, but looking much, much more professional in her white uniform, her long blond hair kept back by a white headband. When she saw me standing there, I saw her blue eyes go a little wide for a second before she covered it up under a professional attitude as she spoke, "Oh! Good morning Commander, I didn't see you there."

"Carol, I think you left it on the balcony from yesterday…" said Washington as she turned to face her sister, resting her arms on the railing of the back patio.

Carol… Carol… Right! North Carolina… lead ship of the North Carolina class and Washington's sister… oh I made out with Washington's sister last night…

After a moment she flushes a little in the cheeks before looking down and brushing a nonexistent errant hair behind her left ear, just like she did last night, making it clearer in my memory as she says, "Oh, right… I can be so forgetful… Thanks, Washy."

As she walks away, it wasn't lost on me that she looked over her shoulder at me in a subtle way, once she was out of sight Washington leaned over a little and said to me, "She really liked that kiss under the mistletoe last night."

I felt my cheeks get so hot.

Washington slapped my shoulder and said, "I figured you would come by, trying to figure out who you kissed last night."

"How'd you figure that?" I ask her.

She shrugged and said, "I think it was a bit of a blur, and well you weren't here that long before you went off and did whatever it was you were doing."

I sigh and look down before asking, "Speaking of that, I was wondering if you could help me track down Marblehead? I need to apologize to her for missing that movie date…"

"Sorry Sir, she rotated to the Atlantic Fleet about three months ago." She said to me with an apologetic look on her face.

Oddly enough, I feel kind of relieved at that, one less problem I've got to deal with it seems.

I nod my head up and down and turn back to looking at my hull on the water and Washington asks, "So what's the new kansen like then? I'd imagine you've met her already."

I sigh inwardly and I look at Washington, she was helpful to me when I first got here, helping me track down the maid that took me off base, and according to my mom, she'd been supportive of her when I was taken. I rub my hands together as I say, "That's complicated."

"Complicated how?" she asks me, taking on a serious tone.

I run both hands over my head and sigh out, "Like very complicated, with some very heavy and dangerous implications…"

After a moment I think she figures it out as she leans over and whispers to me, "It's you, isn't it?"

I only nod.

I hear her make a sucking noise as she draws in air through her mouth before letting out in a slow whistle before she says, "That's… a lot."

"Tell me about it." I say back to her.

She gives me a sideways look and asks, "You got rigging?"

I nod as I say, "Yeah… My body seems to be changing to support it; every day I wake up a little bit different… at least I can walk right now without falling over."

She nods, looking out at the water at my hull, and asks flat out, "So, are you still 'Commander Thatcher'?"

I run my hands over my head again as I admit, "Yes and no. I'm still me, but I'm not me. As far as Azur Lane is concerned, Mitchel Thatcher is dead. We're putting in the paperwork on Monday… At the same time, HMS Thunderer is being added to the registry here."

She nods and asks a new question, "What class?"

I sigh as I say, "One of a kind. I've got more tonnage than a KGV class and the biggest batteries in the port."

Washington gives me a sideways glance as she says, "Sorry, but I've got 16"/45's in triple batteries… Those are the biggest guns in port right now."

I shake my head as I say, "18"/47's… in four dual turrets… with shells that are pushing nearly four thousand kilos."

She sighs and runs a hand through her hair as she says, "Alright, you win for biggest guns… but technically, you're not in port… you're anchored offshore."

I laugh and say, "Fair enough."

After a moment the levity seemed to drain away and she said, "You're going to be a hot commodity…"

I sigh again as I say, "I know, Belfast made a point about that to me this morning."

She nods before gesturing with her chin at the blond walking down to the beach in a black bikini and said, "Naturally I'd like to pair you with Carol. It has advantages, it affirms the close ties between the Eagle Union and the Royal Navy, you two already know what it's like to kiss each other and well, she's a good girl."

I sigh and watch the blond as she bends at her hips to lay out her towel on the sand and I said, "I'll be honest, it's a very tempting offer…"

"But you need to think about it, I get it… Just be wary of who you tell about this, it could put you in a dangerous position." She says to me.

I nod as I say to her, "Thanks Washington, I appreciate it."

She nods as she says, "Sure, say hi to your Wales for me… When you're up for it, I want to see who has the more accurate guns though."

I laugh and pat her on the shoulder as I say, "You're on. For the record though, I had a dispersion of less than two hundred and fifty meters at a distance of thirty-five-thousand meters."

"Bull shit!" she hollers after me as I start to walk away.

I laugh and keep going as I call back, "It's true, ask U-47 if you ever run into her."

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When I made it back to the Commander's residence I saw my mother sitting on the porch swing, some tea out on a table in front of her. When she saw me she smiled and waved to me, once I'd gotten over to her she asked me, "So, how was last night? Did you manage to track her down?"

I felt my cheeks get hot as I took a seat beside her and she handed me a teacup before sipping from her own. I take a sip before leaning forward and slowly getting the swing to rock back and forth as I say, "I've felt the best today that I've felt since this transformation… Last night was kind of fun actually."

"Good. Now did you manage to track her down? The woman you kissed under the mistletoe." She asked again and again I felt my cheeks get hot.

"I hope she is at least appropriate looking… not on the young side, we've had problems in the past with some people that prefer the young ones…" she says to me, sipping from her tea again.

I clear my through and mumble, "I'm so glad my mother thinks the worst of me…"

"Oh good lord, you didn't kiss a Fletcher girl did you?" she asks me, looking a little worried.

I shake my head as I say to her, "No, good god no… if anything I think you would approve."

"Oh?" asks my aunt as she comes out to join us, sitting on my other side and suddenly I felt very crowded on this swing as she continues, "What would Wales approve of?"

I get off the swing and turn to face my mother and aunt and that was when it dawned on me, North Carolina could almost fit right in between them… blond hair, a build that wouldn't be out of place between my mother or aunts…

"Yes, do tell Mitchel." My mother says as she sips from her tea.

I watch as my aunt leans forward, crossing her knees and resting her chin on her right hand with her elbow on her knee as she says, "I bet it was one of the more provocative girls from the Eagle Union."

I sigh and look down and my aunt says, "I knew it! It was St. Louis; she's always been a bit more… free with who she is."

I shake my head back and forth as I say, "No… this has occurred with someone that is much more complicated."

They looked at each other for a moment then shrugged and asked in unison, "Was it Hornet?"

"Nonsense, complicated is not a word I would use to describe Hornet." My mother said while she apprised me with her red eyes.

I blink a couple of times, I guess I really didn't take any time to get to know who was and who wasn't in port when I was in command here for a week. I shake my head again as I say, "No…"

"Then spit it out Mitchel." I hear my mother say to me.

Taking a deep breath before I let it out I mumbled out, "North Carolina."

The two of them look at one another and nod to each other before saying, "You could do far, far worse than her Mitchel."

I blink a couple of times before putting my hands up and saying, "Now hold on, all we did was kiss under the mistletoe…"

My aunt smirks at me as she says, "And all I did at first was kiss Johnathan after we fell over in a kitchen."

My mother nods as she says, "That's right… he was taking baking lessons from Dunkerque back then… Who does the pastry work for him now?"

My aunt smiled as she said, "I do, I've always been better at making sweets than he has."

My mother laughs as she says, "I remember making a rack of lamb with him in that kitchen and handing over a bottle of wine so that he'd have something worth giving the Queen when she came over to make sure he was worthy of you."

"Wait, the Queen gets a say this kind of thing?" I ask a little dumbfounded at this information.

"She does, yes… As a member of the Royal Household, she has the final say on all matches." My aunt says in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So… am I a member?" I ask.

"Yes, you're my son, that makes you one by default." My mother says, almost as if she is surprised I'm even asking the question.

I groan, now it all made sense as to why Bismarck wanted to put Gneisenau in my orbit and was offering me her hand. As I run both hands down my face I ask, "So that would mean for one of the other factions?"

"It means they get a direct line with the Queen and more than likely preferential treatment by the Royal Navy when it comes to trade or support treaties." Says a man's voice from the doorway.

Looking over I see my uncle standing there, his arms folded across his chest as he says, "I've always know Bismarck to be one to plan two or three steps ahead of everyone else, leaving the rest of us to play catch up. Washington is a bit reactionary, but I know her to also look at the big picture."

He gives me a sad look for a moment before adding, "Lizzy will likely take into account your personal preferences, but considering you are what you are, she's also going to be considering what is best for her fleet… so your opinion might count for nothing in the end."

I sigh and hang my head as I ask, "What would you do?"

He's quiet for a moment before I hear my aunt say, "Speak your mind, Johnathan, I'm not worried in any way."

He sighs and says, "I'd play the field a bit, and try to see who you are most compatible with before you bring them before Lizzy. NC's a good girl, dependable, clever and humble… all things Lizzy would value. The only strike against her is that she is Eagle Union a faction that the Royal Navy is already incredibly close with. Who else is on the list?"

I sigh and run my hands over my head as I say, "I don't really know at this point, I know Bismarck as made it clear she would like something to happen between myself and Gneisenau… she made that clear when I first got here… before I became… this."

He's quiet for a moment and asks, "I'm not very familiar with Gneisenau, I don't think she was stationed here while I was…"

I nod as my mother speaks, "Stern, dependable, clever, and is always looking at the bigger picture."

"She sounds like another good candidate and she has the added benefit of being from the Iron Blood, not a faction that the Royal Navy is overly close with." He says, I almost hear him nodding as he said that.

I sigh again and sip some tea before I say, "I'm going to head off and try to relax while I figure out how I'm going to live with myself while I'm bound for being sold like a piece of meat."

With another sigh, I turn and start to walk away from the house and to the pub.

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I was just coming up to the golden anchor in the center square when I saw someone that I had been avoiding talking too this last weak walking towards me. She was looking at her phone in one hand and in the other, she had something in a basket under a cloth. I tilted my head to the side as she got closer, looking up at the last second before we walked into one another, she blinked a few times as she came to a halt, looking me up and down as she asked, "Kommandant?"

I reach up to start rubbing the back of my head while I nod and ask her, "Hi, Gneisenau, how are you doing?"

She tucks her phone into one of her back pockets of her shorts as she swings the basket in front of her and says to me with a smile on her face, "I'm good, how are you doing? You look really good by the way."

I was feeling a little awkward at this interaction, the last real memory I have of her, is her being topless in my hull. I sigh and move to sit on the edge of the wall by the anchor and look up at the sky as I say, "Better, every day I'm getting a little better and a lot stronger."

She moves to sit beside me, the basket in her lap for a moment before she puts it into mine and says, "This is for you, by the way… It's stollen, sweet holiday bread… I made a double batch with Z23 yesterday and I wanted to give you some this year."

I look at the basket as I say to her, "I fell over."

"I'm sorry?" she asks.

"When U-47 said she spent some time under me, it was because she was helping me get up off my decking and I fell over and pinned her under me." I say to her, recalling how U-47 had said to me about bugging Gneisenau.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her look down, a slight smile on her lips as she tucks some hair behind an ear and says to me, "Oh… I never…"

I shake my head as I say, "U-47 was having a go at you, trying to see if she could provoke a reaction."

She nods and asks, "Can I ask you something Kommandant?"

I give a nod and she cuts right to it, "Are you still my Kommandant?"

I sigh, putting the basket down beside me and propping myself by the arms as I say to her, "As of Monday morning, Commander Mitchel Thatcher will be officially registered as dead with Azur Lane and HMS Thunderer is going to be put into the fleet registry… so, yes and no."

"in that case…" she says just before I feel something soft on my cheek for a split second before she says, "Happy holidays, Kom… What do I call you now?"

I smirk and say to her, "Those that are close to me, I'm allowing them to call me Mitchel, everyone else so far is Thunderer."

I turn slightly to look at her as she says in a tone that suggests she's testing it out, "Mitchel?"

I smile at her and put my hand over one of her hands as I say, "Mitchel works."

To my surprise, she spaces out her fingers to let mine lace through hers as she says, "I like that I don't report to you anymore."

I was about to say something when I felt her head lean against my shoulder, I let my head lean against hers as I say to her, "Happy holidays Gneisenau."

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A/N: Chapter eleven done. Chapter twelve is coming, but it will likely take longer, unless some magic happens and I can bang it out almost overnight.