A.N: Whoo-hoo! has FINALLY changed Document Manager so that the formatting of the chapters doesn't change! RIGHTEOUS! He he he… anyway…

Shoutouts:

Silent Bob 546: Hey again! Thanks for the review! I know… POOR TOM! When I watched the deleted scenes from LXG and Tom talked about how he lost Huck, I was just like: "Awwwwwwwwww…….. (sniff)". Lol!

Disclaimer: If you recognise it… it ain't mine. So don't sue.

Chapter 7: A trip up-river

The next day, the League found themselves standing at the railing of the Nautilus's top deck, observing the great city of Alexandria from a way offshore while they waited for a boat to be acquired which would carry them up the Nile. Looking down, Mina could see the locals peddling their wares from their little river boats, gathering around the white chrome hull of the Nautilus, albeit somewhat tentatively. They muttered to themselves and pointed at the shining metal before beginning to call up to the crewmen and passengers.

Mina smiled, recalling the similar reaction of the people that lived around the Suez Canal as they saw the vessel rising up out of the waters in order to navigate more easily through the narrow passage. Nemo's crewmen however, ignored the calls from below, and kept their eyes fixed on the horizon, as their training had dictated. They only moved once a smaller boat emerged from the side of their ship and ropes were thrown up to secure it.

At this point Nemo emerged from the heavy metal door in the conning tower and conversed briefly with a crewman before addressing the League.

"My men are extracting one of the Nautilus's smaller vessels as we speak. I suggest we commence boarding - we mustn't waste too much time."

Almost at once, the massive engines started up from somewhere within the Nautilus, and the ship began to sink lower into the waters, stopping only once the deck on which they stood was level with the boats. A gate was opened, and the League began to file onto their new method of transportation, gratefully accepting the steadying hands of Nemo's more experienced sailors. After them, thirty or so crewmembers jumped on and pushed off from the ship that had been home to the League for so long.

Their new temporary lodgings were no less grand than the ship they had just disembarked. Granted, the boats were smaller, but still large in proportion to the small sickle-shaped fishing ships that the locals rode on. Like the Nautilus, the body of the boat was made of white chrome, and decorated with hints of silver which shone brilliantly against the dark waters in which they sailed. The vessel was roughly fifty feet long, and twenty feet wide at its stern, the length of which tapered gradually to a point at the prow. The hull was rounded, but flat-bottomed, so as to make it easier to navigate in shallower waters such as on the Nile Delta. Looking around, Mina noticed that roughly the first twelve feet of so of the prow had been covered with a canvas so as to make a canopy which would shade the passengers from the strong Egyptian sun, while the stern of the ship had been built up and extended forward to almost halfway across the deck. On top of the structure Nemo's First Mate Jimuta stood in the bridge at the helm and directed the boat towards the land, shouting orders good-naturedly at the crew as he did so.

The local fishermen all stopped and stared at the boat with their mouths agape, and it wasn't until Mina again looked around her that she noticed the boat had no sail; like the Nautilus, their vessel was powered by engines somewhere within the hull. She imagined that seeing a boat as grand as theirs seemingly moving by itself without the help of the wind would have shocked her at one point too, but she had seen too much since then for this to even cause her to so much as bat an eye-lid.

"I must say, Nemo, you certainly know how to travel in style." Skinner broke the silence on board and plonked himself down in a chair that had been placed under the canopy, helping himself to the fruit that was nearby on a low table as he did so. Mina watched with a grim fascination as the food was crushed in mid air before sliding downwards where it was churned up.

Nemo nodded, acknowledging the complement before excusing himself and heading down below the deck. Mina saw Henry move under the canopy and she moved over to where he now stood, leaning against the railing of the boat. They remained in companionable silence before Henry muttered something under his breath and shook his head.

"Are you all right, Henry?" Mina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked at him, slightly concerned. Henry nodded quickly and smiled in return, mumbling something about a headache, but broke out in a slight sweat.

"Is it Hyde?"

He now looked up quickly and with some shock.

"Yes… but, how did you know?"

"You often mutter to yourself in such ways when you believe no one is looking, and whenever Hyde does speak to you, I seem to get a strange feeling, as if I can almost hear him… or rather, sense him."

Well, Henry, she isn't as silly as I thought. Still, she'd never want anything to do with you… you pathetic little worm. Let me out! You know she'll look at me… Just take the elixir… you know you want it… Henry had to admit, the offer was tempting. Hyde had been in his mind now for almost the entire day now, and he wouldn't stop his incessant whining. But he shook his head again and looked at Mina.

"It must be your abilities," Henry referred to her vampire talents, "that allow you to do so. I believe that you and I can hear and sense things that others can't, owing to our slightly…. animalistic natures."

The two of them continued to chat good-naturedly about science and their beliefs on their own unique talents for some time until Nemo returned to the deck and told them thattheir trunks had all been placed below decks in their cabins, and that he would show them to their rooms. Owing to the reduced size of their new method of transportation, cabins would have to be shared. Nemo led them all down the stairs, from which he had recently emerged, into a dim corridor. He stopped at the first door on the right.

"Doctor, if you have no complaints, I believe it would be best if you and I shared a room together." Henry agreed whole-heartedly, he enjoyed the company of the captain than that to almost any other member of the League.

Upon entering the room, he found it was not as small as he had previously imagined it to be. The room was tall enough for even the doctor to stand in, and spacious enough to allow room for two desks, on one of which his small chemistry set had been placed, along with the case which held the elixir. In his head, Hyde moaned slightly. Henry pushed him aside and continued to look around.

The beds were built into the sides of the cabin, and covered in linens similar to those on-board the Nautilus – most likely fine Egyptian cotton. There were drawers underneath the mattresses, which were to be used as additional storage space: there were already built-in closet with sliding doors, and of course, his trunk. A small porthole between the beds allowed an under-water view of the surrounding waters, which were currently too murky to see anything bar a few shadows which melted stealthily into the darkness outside.

Nemo closed the door to allow the doctor some privacy before crossing to the door opposite and opening it.

"Ah! I suppose this is where Mina and I will be staying!" Skinner stepped into the room which was fashioned in the same way as Henry's and Nemo's and wiggled his grease-painted eyebrows at their female companion.

Mina simply rolled her eyes, but could not suppress the slight chuckle that rose in her throat. Her talk with Henry earlier had put her in a better mood than she was normally found in.

"Actually, Mr. Skinner, this is where you and Mr. Sawyer will be sleeping, as long as there are no objections?" He looked to Tom for his opinion, after all, he would have to be sharing with their strange friend. At his shake of his head Nemo continued.

"Very well then. I shall leave you to unpack. Luncheon will be served in about an hour on deck." Nemo shut the door and led Mina slightly further down the corridor.

"I'm sorry that your room is farthest from the nearest source of fresh air and light Miss Harker, but the room at the end of the ship is the larger one, and seeing as you require more space for your Chemistry apparatus, I thought it best that I give you this one." Nemo opened the door to her cabin.

Indeed, it was the larger of the three, it being almost the size of the two other cabins put together, and it had been decorated in a different manner. While the rooms that the men now inhabited were covered in the dark-stained wood, this one was covered from floor to ceiling in a lighter sandy shade of wood, and the floor was carpeted in a pastel rose colour.

The bed linens were of Egyptian cotton, but the duvet was covered in a slightly faded flower pattern that matched the floor. In between the two beds, there was a long window that actually reached the floor, which allowed those present to look out into the water. A long desk had been set up along one wall, and the two cases that contained Mina's apparatus and chemicals had been placed on top of it. Sliding doors lined the opposite wall, behind one of which there was a closet for her clothing, and behind the other, her bathroom.

Walking out of the room, Mina thanked the captain profusely for his kindness, and as he turned to leave she called out to him.

"Captain? May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Miss Harker. Ask it."

"Please, call me Mina, Captain. As you said, no pleasantries are required amongst us." Mina smiled.

"Well, in that case I must ask that you call me Nemo." He smiled in return. "Now, your question?"

"Why is this room so much different to that of the others? It's more feminine… surely you didn't simply have it refitted for me? Such actions would be beyond any kindness anyone has ever bestowed upon me!"

Nemo smiled, but this time, it didn't quite reach his eyes. They suddenly retained a sad, nostalgic quality that Mina was surprised to see – Nemo rarely showed excessive emotion among his crew or the League.

"No. It was not refitted, but I would have done so for a lady such as you by any means." He paused and took in a deep breath that was almost like a sigh. "This room once belonged to my wife and daughter before they were taken by Kali, along with my sons."

"Capt- Nemo, I'm terribly sorry." Mina's voice took on an apologetic, kindly tone. "I didn't mean to bring up such memories on purpose…"

Nemo shook his head in reply. "None of the League would do such a thing, Mina. And you need not feel sorry. I have had my time to grieve, and I have moved on, as they would have wished."

Both were silent for a moment before Nemo made his goodbyes and left Mina to unpack before lunch.

One by one, the League members came up on deck and each was greeted with the site of Alexandria off the side of their boat. The friends looked on in fascination as they passed a huge fort, which was quickly followed by the tall sea wall, which sealed off the Eastern Harbour. In the distance they could just make out the shape of the great library for which Alexandria was most famous, and several Romanesque temples. Nemo joined his companions in their perusal of the various monuments that were visible from the deck and they all stared in wonder and fascination as lunch was being served.

"That is the fort of Qaitbay." Nemo began to explain the landmarks before them. "It was built in the late 1400s and served to repel raiders from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea. It was, I believe, named after the Sultan who reigned over Egypt at the time." Nemo stopped as Jimuta announced that lunch was ready, and the League made their way up towards the canopy on the fore-deck.

After all those present had been served salads and sandwiches, Nemo explained how they were to reach Cairo.

"We will enter the Nile Delta from its most western channel. First, however, we must travel a way along the Egyptian coast, but by the end of today we should have reached the channel. Once we move into the river, it will take us about five days to reach Cairo, provided that there are no disturbances."

"'Disturbances'? What kind of 'disturbances'? This place seems pretty tame to me." Tom looked up from his sandwich to the calm waters around them. Several young children waved from the shore to those on the boat, and Tom smiled as he saw several crew members wave back.

"Anything could cause us to fall behind schedule, Tom. An engine may fail, the great Nile crocodiles may attack us, we may even be attacked by river pirates." Nemo explained. "I remember once travelling up the Yang-Tze in China many years ago when when this very same boat was attacked by such villains."

Mina noticed that Nemo's face had again taken on that distant sad look, and she wondered if the incident of which he now spoke was the one that stole his family from him.

"I lost many precious things that day." He was silent for a while. "But enough of this. I suggest that we enjoy our time on the Nile as much as is possible; regretfully, we will not be able to make any stops in the most famed of places that this country has to offer, but we may as well take advantage of the view that the Nile provides us."

That night, the League retired to bed early. All of them, except perhaps Nemo and his crew, were unused to the intense heat of the African sun which was powerful enough to induce drowsiness in the most alert of men.

Upon entering the cabin he shared, Skinner found his room mate lying on his bunk, staring up at the ceiling. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Skinner would've sworn that his mate had copped it right there and then. Noticing that Tom hadn't reacted to the noise of the door opening and closing, he carefully made his way over to the bed on which Tom lay. Still, he didn't move.

"Tom? Tom, mate?" Skinner spoke softy in an almost sing-song voice.

"Yes, Skinner?" Tom's voice was monotonous, and he blinked and turned his head to where he assumed Skinner stood.

"Just checking you hadn't gone catatonic." Skinner made his way over to the closet, intent of hanging up his coat which he had just removed. Upon sliding open the door, he found that the only clothing inside of it was his own. "Haven't you unpacked yet?"

"Hmmm? Oh… no. I'll do it tomorrow."

"Were you this much of a pain back when you lived in Mississippi? Cuz if I didn't know better, Tom Sawyer, I'd swear you were having a sulk!" Skinner scoffed lightly as he fell back on his own bed. "Anything on your mind, mate?"

Tom was silent a moment. Could he really trust Skinner? After all, he had made himself a living on telling lies and stealing what he wanted – he was hardly a noble kind of person. But then he remembered Mongolia, and the terrible burns that his invisible friend had received in trying to save him… even though Tom had never done anything to Skinner that would warrant a pay-back, much less of the life-saving kind. No one had ever told Skinner, but they had all once feared for his life… even Mina. The third degree burns he'd received had covered most of his body, and Henry didn't think that the invisible thief would live out the week.

But through some miracle, he had. And Tom had spent every waking moment next to his friend… he felt it was the least he could do.

Since that encounter the two had shared a special bond. Now that Tom thought about it, Skinner felt like the brother that Tom had never had, even though one hardly knew anything about the other's past. Surely Tom could confide in him at least this once.

Sighing, Tom relented, and he rolled over on one arm to look at the dent on the duvet where Skinner's body lay. In turn he heard Skinner shift on the bed, and he could only assume that they were facing each other.

Not exactly sure how to start, Tom cleared his throat.

"I, uh… I…" It was no use. There was no easy way to say it. He simply had to let it be known.

"I have a… thing… for Mina." He could feel himself reddening.

"Who doesn't? I bet even Nemo secretly thinks she's not a bad piece of work." Tom knew Skinner was smirking, even if he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, but this is more than just, 'gee, that's one pretty lady'. I… I want to be… close… to her. But not in the physical sense. Or maybe in that sense… just a bit… or maybe… ah, dammit! I dunno!" Tom threw his arms up into the air and brought them back down, only to push them through the blonde mess that was his hair before letting out a long sigh.

"Awww… ladies and gentlemen, Thomas Sawyer currently feels for none other than our dear Wilhemina Harker!"

"Shhhhhhh!" Tom sat up and urgently placed a finger on his lips. Talking like that on the Nautilus was one thing, on this boat was another. The walls couldn't be thick enough to drown out all noise… indeed, he could hear the muffled voices of Henry and Nemo across the hall.

"Oh… yeah, sorry, mate." Skinner sat up on the bed, now interested. "What're you going to do about it then?"

"Do?" Tom spoke the word as if it was the first time he'd heard it. "What do you mean, 'do'? I wasn't planning on 'doing' anything about it!"

"So, lemme get this straight. You are planning on admiring the lovely Mina form afar, and going through the unimaginable torture of seeing the woman you feel for running about with no clue that you feel for her?"

Tom thought briefly. "Yes."

"Even though you know that things will only get worse the longer you wait? And things may turn out for the best if you do, do something?"

Another pause. "Yes."

"I see. And do you seriously believe that this is the best course of action?"

"Yes."

Skinner let out a long casual sigh. "Tom, I have to tell you, mate. The only way that any of this will be resolved is if you go and speak to Mina." Tom opened his mouth to speak but Skinner cut him off. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen, eh? She says that she doesn't feel the same and then we all go on with our lives. Obviously, things may be a bit awkward for a bit, but you'll both get over it."

Tom simply there and looked at Skinner. "Since when did you become so knowledgeable in the ways of the heart, Skinner?"

Skinner lay back down. "I've listened to a lot of upset, drunken barmaids in my time Sawyer. You learn these things… and store them for later use when one feels inclined to woo one of the opposite sex."

Sawyer laughed, and lay down as well. He had to hand it to Skinner: he was full of surprises. Just when you thought you had him pinned down and labelled, he would jump up again and say or do the most spontaneous thing.

He also knew that Skinner was right. As much as he actually feared it, Tom resolved to speak to Mina in the upcoming days, hopefully before they reached Cairo. That way it wouldn't distract them later, and they could concentrate on something other than their embarrassment afterwards.

It was then that distressed shouts up on the deck coupled with gunshots and screams. Both Tom and Skinner sat bolt upright, Tom reaching for his pistols, and Skinner heading for the door, both prepared for whatever they would encounter outside.

A.N: Ooooo…… little cliffhanger there. Not a very good one I admit, but a cliffhanger none-the-less. Anyway…. REVIEW! Pleeeeeeeeeease?