A/N: Hi, everyone! I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying your summer. Here we are with another fic! This will be more of a fic-let if you will. It's something that came to be that I thought about waiting to write but I wanted something fun for the rest of the summer. I'll still be working on Altered/Reality at the same time though so no worries there. A new chapter will be up soon! Probably after this weekend once my family returns from our vacation in Niagara Falls.

Summary: Anchors away! Kimberly was lucky enough to be picked as one of the teachers of the year and with it comes an all expenses paid cruise to the Bahamas. She can't wait to spend the next eight days having fun in the fun and finding a new adventure of her own. Adventure sure finds her though when a familiar face appears on board after Tommy saves her from an unexpected dip in the pull. There's no where to go to escape each other now, leaving them both to face what's been building between the two of them since the infamous letter. Is it too late too swim home?

Please let me know what you think! Remember to R&R.

Enjoy :)

Kimberly

The sun was shining, the sea gulls were calling out loudly, and the waves were lapping up against the deck. To most, it would be your typical day in sunny Florida. It was warm and dry, a record breaking drought still sweeping through the south that hadn't been seen in almost a decade. People were milling about in large masses, gazing out at the water that stretched out to the Atlantic Ocean. Now and then, there would be a call from someone who was loading things onto the ships docked at the port followed by the loud whistles from the massive vessels anchored here. Port Canaveral had it's history of being one of the largest ports on this side of the country. Not only was it known for its sea travel, it was known for its space travel as well. Off in the distance, you could just make out the launch zone where space shuttles and other rockets had been rocketed into deep space. This was the place for adventures, alright. Especially for those who were bored and sick of their everyday lives where they wake up and do the same thing every morning. People who wanted something new, excited, and adventurous.

People like me.

Don't get me wrong. The mundane isn't so bad. Some people enjoy knowing that every single moment of their lives will be exactly the same as the one before it. I have moments where I like it too. But, I was currently going through what I was calling my "quarter life crisis" ever since I hit 25. I was craving adventure. I was craving romance. I was craving anything that got me the hell out of my studio apartment for more than eight hours at a time. I was itching at the idea of spreading my wings and seeing new things I had never seen before (something that might be harder than it is for most.)

"Kim!" A voice called behind me. Turning, I saw the bright smile on the face of the blonde woman who was waving her arms frantically in my direction. I smiled and waved back, grabbing the handle of my suitcase. I walked forward, pulling it behind me as I headed across the parking lot towards Andrea Cowen, my partner in crime.

"Hey! What took you so long? I thought we'd be shipping out without you." I said, giving her a quick hug when I approached her. She laughed, adjusting the sun hat on her head.

"Well, I couldn't go on vacation without making sure I had a base tan and then I had to do SOMETHING with this mess of a hair." She said, rolling her eyes as we walked up the parking lot together. I did notice that her hair had some brown lowlights in them now, the strands looking golden in the sunlight. She had lightly bronzed skin that looked sun kissed already against the salmon colored tones of the sun dress she wore.

"Of course you did." I laughed. Sighed, she looked ahead of us and whistled.

"Would you look at that?" She said, "That thing is enormous."

"It is a cruise ship." I replied, also gazing up at the massive ship that was docked at the end of the pier. It stood taller than any boat I had ever seen before, being about 18 stories tall. Waves were licking at the sides of it and I could see staff members loading luggage onto it from a passageway at the south end of the boat. At the north end, there were lines of people waiting to walk up gangways that led inside of the ship. The lines weren't as long as they had been when I first arrived but there were still people arriving by car loads in the taxi zones. Andrea and I joined the line, pulling our boarding passes from our luggage.

"I still can't believe this is real! I never thought that teaching snot nosed little brats would land me on the biggest cruise ship on this side of the world."

"Try to keep that sentiment out of your thank you speech at the award ceremony." I mused, smiling at her. She laughed, nodding.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Andrea and I both are music teachers for the Janesville School District here in Florida. She teaches the instrumental portion while I am the chorus teacher for the middle school. It's a job I love and have been doing for about three years now, landing the spot right after graduating high school. We started around the same time and quickly became very close friends. Our kids are the best part of the job and we do our best to go above and beyond to make sure they learn everything they can in our classes. We both run the school musical and also throw a music festival each holiday season to showcase the talents of each of our students.

Unbeknownst to us, the school district nominated our department to the National Teachers Union of America Awards, a program used to help show off the best teachers in our countries. We weren't informed of this until we came in first place for the music department. I was surprised to hear that we had won something but was even more surprised to hear that we had been invited to a special awards ceremony to be held on the second night of a week-long cruise. All expenses were to be covered including our rooms, our food, and our alcohol. It didn't take a genius to know how foolish it would be to give all that up!

I gazed out at the open sea, a small smile on my face. Granted, I was excited about going on a free vacation. It had been years since I had gone anywhere that would be considered close to a vacation. I had gone to France a couple years ago when my mother was having back surgery. I hadn't done anything though and had been back here in Florida before I had even had a chance to make the most of it. This was my chance to break up the stagnant feeling I've been having in my chest lately. As much as I love my job, it has begun to feel stale. It was like I had reached the end of the road where I was and I was looking for something to jump start my life against. I didn't know exactly what I wanted but I knew it was going to be more exciting than my life now. But, I was torn on what I wanted to do. Did I want to go back into gymnastics? Did I have to find a different school district? Did I just need to find a new hobby and stick with the job I had grown to love?

"I'm so glad our rooms are right next to each other." Andrea said, pulling me from my thoughts. "I'd hate to have some random strangers next to me. I don't want to have to apologize to them for anything they might hear." She gave me a cheeky grin, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Oh, god. You aren't thinking of hooking up with anyone while we're here, are you?" I asked, moving forward with the line.

"Well, if the occasion calls for it. We're on vacation, Kim! We're never going to see anyone on this boat again. Why not live it up and be a little naughty? I don't think it would kill you to get laid for once."

"Thanks." I said, shooting her a playful glare.

"You know what I mean! When was the last time you even went out with anyone? That dental assistant with that Honda Civic that needed to be towed to the movie theater that you had to pay for?" We moved closer to the walkway, people chattering around us.

"I just don't see the point of dating." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I have a busy schedule and not a lot of guys would be willing to work around it."

"Trust me. I get it. But we are going to be on this massive cruise ship, heading to the Bahamas. A little love wouldn't kill you. Meet some cute guy at the bar, have some fun, and then never talk to him again. I think it's the best plan of action here." She stated in a matter-of-factly manner, adjusting the sun glasses on her face. Uphead, I spotted the front of the line. There were two men in white uniforms taking tickets and scanning cards. From the front of my suitcase, I pulled out the envelope the school had given me with all the cruise information. There was a card with my name and picture on it, the logo of the cruise line in the top right corner. They scanned the people ahead of us before the one on the right turned to smile at me. He was an older man with short black hair and a bushy mustache.

"Good morning, ladies! Welcome aboard the S.S New Beginnings!" He said cheerfully. The man standing next to him reached his hand out to Andrea for her information. I handed mine to the older man who quickly scanned it with the device in his hand. It beeped and he let out a little chuckle. "You must be part of our teachers group coming on today! Try not to give anyone who is being bad detention. Our brig only holds so many." He grinned, handing my paperwork back to me along with a lanyard. "You can put your card right on there for safe keeping. You'll be using it for pretty much everything. It's your room key and how you will order food and drinks."

"Thank you." I said, taking the paperwork back.

"If you head to the left, you'll go right into our beautiful atrium. You'll ride the elevators right up to our Emerald level and your rooms will be on the right hand side. Feel free to hang out on the deck, get a drink, and join our sail away party starting in about an hour."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Andrea said. I thanked the men again before we walked past them and into the ship. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust from being out in the sun and then into the shade. Once they did though, I saw that we were standing in a very large room. The ceiling was two floors above us, glass windows showing off beautiful colorful lights of purples, greens, and blues. There was a glass sculpture that stood about fifteen feet high in the middle of the room, marble floor under our feet. The walls were wood panelling in places there wasn't more colorful glass. Around us, music echoed off the walls and other employees were dancing around the room to greet everyone. I saw three staircases, two sets of elevators and then a separate section of the room where there was seating with a live band playing. Other guests of the ship were leisurely walking around here. Some had drinks in their hands while others were still pulling their bags with them. I had never seen such a beautiful lobby before. It reminded me of the pictures I would see in travel brochures my mother would bring home from work when she worked for the travel agency back in Angel Grove.

Andrea and I headed over to the elevators on the right side of the room and waited for a spot to open up in one. We shoved ourselves and our luggage onto a lift with about six other people, heading up to the sixth floor of the ship above the main deck. We filed off on the Emerald floor, the decorations holding true to its name. On the wall right outside of the elevators, there was a banner that read WELCOME AMERICA'S FAVORITE TEACHERS in big gold print. The floor was carpeted in emerald green rugs with gold and white accents on it. The walls were a golden color with green and white trim. The doors of the cabins were all the same; white with gold trim. The room numbers were small gold plates with the numbers etched into them with black.

"Here's me!" Andrea said, stopping at a door. She was in room 5498 while I was in 5499. I walked past her to my room and inserted the key into the door. It clicked before lighting up green. Turning the doorknob, I pushed it open with my hip. A little gasp came from my lips as I stepped into the room. It was a one bedroom suite, a king sized bed on the left side of the room decked out in bedding of deep oranges and yellows. The walls were a copper yellow color and had a wooden trim around the room. Above the bed, there was a canvas painting of a sunset with a sailboat floating across the water. On the other side of the room, there was a wooden wardrobe and a television stand. There was a desk connected to it as well and a small couch across from that, it also an orange color. The best part about the room though I saw was there was a floor to ceiling window. Walking over, I saw it wasn't a window but instead, a door. I pulled the white current to the side and opened the door, finding myself on a balcony. Glancing out, I saw that the balcony ran the length of the ship, wooden dividers separating the balconies by the rooms. I was looking out at the sea, dolphins playing in the surf of another boat out in the distance.

"This is amazing!" Andrea said as she came out onto her balcony. "I think I need to start teaching school on a cruise ship." I laughed, shaking my head.

"I'm not quite sure there are a lot of open positions for a job like that." I replied.

"Well, there needs to be." Sighing, she gazed out over the water. "This trip is going to be amazing, Kim. I'm so glad we're going to be able to do this together. I couldn't think of a better person I could do this with. Who else gets to go on a free cruise with their best friend?"

"I know." I smiled over at her and nodded.

"Alright. I'm going to unpack. Want to head up to the deck in half an hour?"

"Sure."

I spent the next half an hour unpacking my suitcase. I had done some research before coming on the cruise, not really knowing what to expect. So, I had brought enough clothes for the week, including multiple bathing suits and some summer dresses. We were having a formal dinner for the award ceremonies so I needed to bring a cocktail dress. I hung this up on one of the hangers in the wardrobe while everything else was folded neatly into the dresser drawers. While I worked, I turned on the television and listened to the cruise director talk about what to do in an emergency. My mind instantly went to the movie Titanic and it made me promptly turn the volume off. I didn't need any bad thoughts before venturing out into the ocean, miles away from shore. I changed from my jean shorts and tank top into a black and pink sundress and a pair of sandals. I had also found the bathroom, a small thing that was just big enough for a sink, toilet, and shower which was pretty for just me. I tossed my toiletries in here before shoving my suitcase under the bed. While I unpacked, I could hear noises coming from the room on the other side of me. I wondered for a moment if they had put all the teachers on the ship in our hallway, explaining the sign. I wouldn't mind getting to know a few of them and seeing what was out there. Maybe there was a teacher from Hawaii that could hook me up with a referral for a music teacher position on the island.

Andrea knocked on my door a short time later and I opened it, seeing she had also changed. She had on a white mini skirt and a red floral halter top that had a triangle cut into the chest of it, showing her cleavage in a modest fashion. Well, modest for her. I made sure to grab my lanyard with my card on it, not wanting to lock myself out of the room. I also grabbed my camera before we headed back to the elevators. We rode them down to the main deck again, the music hitting us again as the doors opened. I could see people were heading to the right of the room so we followed, the crowd headed to the main deck of the ship. Walking out of a set of glass double doors, we came out onto a sunny deck area. There were three large pools here surrounded by blue and white deck chairs. There was also a line of hot tubs on a small deck above the pools and then three water slides on the deck above that. More chairs were on these decks and were filled with people. We had been informed it was a children free cruise and I saw it was true, not a single person under 18 to be found. People were sitting in the chairs while others were in the pools and hot tubs. There were also two bars and a restaurant built here, with people sitting at stools in all three areas. A DJ was set up on a far off deck, playing music loudly. More employees for the ship were stationed around the deck, helping to get people into the party mood with dancing.

Andrea and I walked over to a free high top table next to the railing and sat down. Looking over the side, I saw that the crew below was getting ready to load up the large ropes holding us tethered to the dock. A fuel truck was backing up away from the ship, two delivery trucks following it. I turned, taking pictures of everything happening on the deck. People were dancing, drinking, and hanging out, waiting for the ship to set sail.

"Here you are, ladies!" A woman said, walking over with a tray in her hands with two tropical frozen drinks. She set the drinks on the table. "Compliments of the gentlemen at the bar." She pointed over her shoulder and I saw there was a group of four men sitting at the bar. They were all looking in our direction, one of them waving at us. Andrea smiled, waving back.

"Tell them we said thank you." She said, taking a sip.

"Will do. Enjoy!" The waitress said cheerfully before walking back to the bar.

"Look at that! We already have hot guys buying us drinks." Andrea said proudly, stirring hers with her straw. I pulled the paper umbrella out of mine, playing with it.

"We get all our drinks for free though." I said, pointing at her.

"So? It doesn't change the fact that they obviously liked us, Debbie Downer." Sighing, I leaned on the table.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to be. I just really want this vacation to be something, you know? I want to experience new things and find something that just makes me feel differently about life. I know it sounds stupid."

"It's not stupid." Andrea said, patting my arm. "You can't help the way you feel. And I hope that this trip is like that too. Hopefully, you'll find whatever it is you need or you're searching for." I smiled at her, crossing my arms.

"Yeah. Me too."