Mina had smoothed her velvet waistline again and now she was eyeing Tom, "What do you think of what I have said?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders lightly, his eyes wondering from Mina's hips to her face again, "Sounds interesting, but I say we stick with Nemo's idea. Anyway, he's teaching me to navigate the Nautilus and I don't want to lose out on that."

Nemo stood slowly, giving Mina a nod of his head as he walked, barefoot, over to the fireplace. There he stood for the rest of the meeting, hardly making any sort of motion and barely saying one word. She wondered about this, but didn't press it. The rest of them were still listening to her.

Skinner gave her a bit of a grin and stood up, "The Nautilus has all the workspace I need to figure out the demise of this awful state I am in. I'm going with Nemo love. No questions. I belong on the Nautilus were I am free to roam around in my invisible state."

Tom eyed Skinner with a bit of irritation, "I thought you were off to the country to explore your freedoms and your newly found fame?"

Skinner walked over, leaned in on Tom and kissed his cheek playfully, "I'm going where ever you and Jekyll go. I can't live without you both." Then he pulled away and walked over to sit down beside Nemo's feet in front of the fireplace.

Jekyll looked unsure and a bit depressed all of a sudden, "If that isn't a kick in the teeth." He said softly, almost sounding like Tom. Tom grinned at him, squeezing his bony knee. Jekyll flushed and grinned at Tom and then he looked to Mina, "You won't join us?"

Mina wasn't listening now. All her attention was on the situation. When had all of them agreed on Nemo's Nautilus? Had she even been asked up to this point? Or was this just another manly thing that they all agreed upon and she was to go with it just because everyone else had.

She stared at the dirt on Tom's booted feet, for a moment feeling vaguely angered by his ill manners. And what was going on with him and Jekyll and Nemo and Skinner? Had she stepped out of the picture for too long?

She was now watching Tom and Jekyll. There they were seated on the green cloth couch, their knees touching, their faces leaned forward, foreheads almost meeting. They were whispering about something and she could only faintly hear it because of the wind outside. She leaned in closer, but they moved their voices lower, their lips near each others now. She fashioned that they might kiss at any moment and this disturbed her greatly. So greatly that she found herself walking over to them and kneeling down. They immediately sat up straight, both sets of eyes on her now. She placed her cold, delicate hands on Sawyer's right knee and Jekyll's left knee, "I don't understand any of this." She said.

They were suddenly hypnotized by her red ruby lips and the lock of black hair that had fallen down from her upheld do. Tom swallowed hard, his hand wanting so much to reach up and cup that beautiful face of hers. He didn't do it. He shut his eyes in irritation and lust and pulled away from her, his arms pulling him to the other side of the green couch.

Jekyll was still staring down at her hand, "We want you on the ship." He said with a nervous glance at her.

She stood, sliding her hand through Jekyll's sweaty hair, "And what would a woman do on a ship like that? Especially a woman with a need for blood?"

The room was silent as Mina walked over and sat down in a large, gray chair. She clutched the armrests tightly as she waited for answer.

None came. And soon the clock above the fireplace was sounding midnight.