Angela pulled herself to the edge of her bunk, requiring extra effort to bring her legs off along with her after their nerves had gone so long without use, though it felt nice to feel the stretch as they dangled off the bunk. She looked around, hoping to not be heard were she to collapse, not wanting the sympathy, and pushed herself to slide off the small bed, keeping her backside against its edge to simply put enough weight on her legs to test them.

They seemed to be holding, and the pressure felt rather nice, her arms pushing her up further up onto her legs, the sudden rush of blood rushing down her body and warming her feet to a nearly scorching pitch before she took a slow step, making sure to keep her hand along the wall of bunks, grasping any of the wooden edges that held the mattresses in place as she meandered along cautiously, finding her legs to be rather welcoming to the activity.

She cautiously advanced, relieved to find the railing to the stairwell as she slowly took her time with each step, a far cry from, apparently, weeks earlier when she was dashing up the same steps. After what seemed like an hour, she made it far enough to peek around the corner that turned into the entryway of the hold, Angela's eyes squinting in frustration as she noticed Hana sitting between the threshold, her arms crossed with her head nodded off, slinking down between her shoulders, leaving Angela in a bind.

Instead of continuing, she turned back, taking the stairs upward to the gun deck which sat directly above the hold, another hour seemingly passing as her pace lessened going up rather than down. She huffed both in exhaustion as well as in frustration at her own body's inability, her frustration only growing from the spot within her a moment ago. She felt a sense of loss at her being unable to recall the face of the woman who'd saved her, and a pang of guilt ran through her as well. The last thing she wanted was to see her in thanks and act at all strange to the one who'd risked their life for hers.

Angela crouched down, falling onto all-fours as she bent low, peering through the minute cracks in the slats of wooden panels beneath her, catching the lantern that Hana had taken with her to keep company. With the hold aflicker, Angela could see through that slots between the wood, crawling along until she found Fareeha, sitting where she'd been before, her legs splayed out as she sat there, one brought up for what seemed like a free hand to rest upon her knee.

Angela bit her lip, the sight of Fareeha's body that shone so warmly behind the orange of the lantern's flame, her tanned skin so toasted, causing a pang of tension to sprout beneath her stomach, her body craving to be straddling that woman's, tasting every part of her in that forbidden span of time. She slowly crawled over toward the wall, spinning to sit there with her back against the ship, sliding down and spreading her legs to expose herself to her fingers, her breaths growing hollow at the thought of Fareeha's arms surrounding her, taking her into the air, taking her wholly. Taking her into a bed, taking her beyond her lips, taking-

"Ah," she shuddered quietly, her fingers already pressing against her breeches, chills swirling along her spine, her imagination so vivid that Fareeha might as well have been at her side right then and there.

She bent over, eyes constricting to peer between the floor, having to stretch to see Fareeha, who was right below her, Angela's eyes struggling to remain open as the tense feeling above her thighs began to strain, her fingers unable to do much else through her clothing. With her eyes kept focused on her stowaway, Angela lifted herself up slightly to pull her breeches down her legs, keeping her legs constricted at her knee, her eyes forced to clench shut in a single instant as her two fingers ran along her lips.

"Mmm!" she whimpered, terrified of making too much noise.

She lifted her other hand, covering her mouth with an open palm, covering moist breaths as she continued noises so sultry, worked up in an infinite swirl from her fingers that caressed the swollen bud between her legs, tears welling up from the sheer pleasure she'd gone without for weeks now, covering her eyes about as quickly as her underwear was being drenched by her honey, her fingers sliding the thin fabric to the side before slithering inside of her, a prolonged, stifling moan wetting her palm.

How might Fareeha do this, she wondered; how might she take Angela? Would it be slow, driving her into a frenzy as her skin roiled upon pins and needles, begging for more? or would Fareeha's pleasure be unable to contain itself? leaving the woman in a frenzy to use Angela's body in a desperate frenzy of depraved activity. The thoughts swirled in her mind, her eyes closed as her fingers worked in and out of her, quicker and quicker, her breathing growing lighter as her chest began to constrict, her feet sliding up into her backside as her shoulders heaved against the wall, lifting her crotch high as her mind flushed with ecstasy, her fingers frozen in place within her as her insides tightened, almost enough to keep her fingers there permanently.

As her mind recovered from the throes of orgasm, Angela's breath sputtered in a shaking fashion, her body sliding back down into her original position as her lungs chortled in quickened spurts, whatever headache that might have been ailing her far too unable to affect her at this moment. She thought of snuggling beside Fareeha, though she most certainly would be against such things. Angela grinned, thinking of having to keep herself attached to her, leaving her arms right around her to keep her nearby, her stowaway resisting every natural impulse of hers if only to stay by her side.

Lost in her own afterglow, slightly lonely after such an undertaking by herself, her heart was enkindled by the mere possibility of sharing it with somebody sitting just a single floor beneath her.

A few more days passed with Angela forced into servitude of her bed, though after a few nights trouncing about while the others slept, save for one night where Lena happened upon her and aided in her endeavors, she was quite able to win over her father's worry, making her way around with only a few trembling steps out of a hundred or so.

"Okay," Jack nodded regretfully, shrugging as he continued, "But I'm keeping you in a tight leash, alright? No heavy lifting, no running along the deck, no-"

"Father!" Angela assured hastily, "I've got it, okay? I'll be fine."

Sighing, Jack replied, "I know… Sorry. It's the father in me, you know."

"I know, but you wouldn't be so doting on any other crewman," Angela acknowledge with a grin, though it gradually faded at the sight of his straight face, "Would you?"

The captain chuckled, "A man's only as good as the people he surrounds himself with. I take all your health seriously. Maybe if you hadn't been the last to awaken, you'd have caught me bringing Lucio some stationary to write to his family, proofreading it even, or you'd have seen me bringing the same stationary for Lena to doodle on or whatever while they recovered. She went to great lengths to explain to us that she'd drawn a dog, not a cow."

He shrugged easily, "I think you'd find that most of what I put onto you is no different from the others. Though, I'd say being a father is a far greater responsibility than being one's boss."

"Geez, father, you don't have to say it like that," Angela frowned, pushing herself up to her feet, barely a wobbly to be seen.

As she kept straight, her lips widened into a bright smile, jumping up toward her father to show off her beaming face, "See?!"

"I do," Jack chuckled, amused at how warm his heart became at such a simplistic sight, "Now don't overexert yourself now."

Still wearing her smile, Angela's face darkened in suspicion as she cocked an eyebrow, "You're not gonna be at my side for forever now just to make sure I don't take a tumble, are you?"

"Dear, I had to watch you learn to walk as a toddler," Jack shook his head, "If I'd had such desires, I'd have started then. I just want to make sure you're in tip-top shape before rushing around the deck and all."

As though expecting her actions to speak louder than any words, Angela began stepping forward, her father following at her side just to examine her gait for any signs of falling over, "You know, when you were learning to walk- Your mother and I sat across from one another, and we'd hold you up and push you along toward the other parent to get you to walk. She insisted I hold you up first- I think she realized, even then, what you've probably come to understand so well."

He chuckled at the thought, "I was so scared to let you go. I didn't want you to fall, and yet, even at just under a year old, you were proving to me that my fears were so vastly unfounded beneath the weight of your determination. or maybe it was your stubbornness, at least later on."

"Gee, thanks," Angela replied teasingly, "I prefer the term 'independent', but okay, choose the negative one."

Her father grinned, helping her out the door before Angela turned up the stairs to go up toward the deck, going along, "For what it's worth, I have no intention of fall-"

She realized her father was no longer at her side, carefully turning around to find him on the next step down, stopped to wait for her as he was aiming for the hold beneath the ship, Angela staring at him confused, "W- I thought we were going out to see Hawaii..?"

"We can if you want, but the polite thing would be to go give your thanks to our stowaway first thing," Jack shrugged.

Almost worriedly, Angela dipped her head in thought, slightly concerned of the timing. She knew this would be the only truly sanctioned visit that she'd get, not sure if now would be the best time; though how would it be any different than any other occasion? especially in explaining her way out of something her father was so obviously pushing her toward doing.

"O-Okay," she managed quietly, working her way back down the step before following her father further down the ship into the hold.

He mustn't have noticed anything wrong as he went on his own, speaking, "They've finished up the Splitstream's repairs. We're about ready to head on out as soon as you've been out and everybody's ready to continue. I can't imagine this next leg will be any more dramatic than the last- it's been a couple decades since I've been under attack. Well, attacked out at sea, I'll say."

They walked along the stairs, entering the gun hold before strolling on toward the stern end of the ship where the hold sat, the orange sunlight of dusk peering out through the windows of the hold, giving the silver cannons a glean full of luster as the two of them walked, Jack's steps unintentionally slowing as he spoke up more meaningfully than before.

"You know, I meant what I said before," he spoke with the glint of a cold tone.

Angela looked up at him, her despondent face now wearing something of confusion as he turned back toward her, "About never being able to thank her enough for what she did. I know you're on this thing about me being a different person and-"

He paused with a smile as Angela's eyes shot wide, "Hana told me. Probably shouldn't tell things to a communications officer and not expect it to get back to me. I just wanted you to know, my first instinct was not to put her back in the hold, tied up. Like I said, she just as easily could have saved you in order to take advantage of me. Getting her somewhere she needed to go- I'm merely playing the same game she is."

"W-Why-?"

"I just don't want you thinking I'm some monster," he shrugged, "We saved her life as a stowaway, she saved yours; we're far too square to simply allow her free reign to do whatever she wants on this ship, understand? I'm in no position to take chances."

Angela's eyes narrowed, "So, what, you-"

"I gave her a hand," he interrupted, simply, "Literally. We only have her one hand cuffed, so she can get her food, or drink, whenever she wants. She brought some books with her, she can read now, whatever she wants to do."

Turning slightly sour, Angela corrected, "You mean you made it so she doesn't have to be checked up on."

Jack raised his hands, running them down his face in exasperation, "See? This is why I wanted this discussion now. You're like family to this crew now; they love you. Even Hana feels slightly guilty about her previous views of that woman after what she did for you. I don't- There was a guy, back before the Splitstream, one of our hired hands came aboard and after a month or so, he went nuts, so we had him holed up as well. He was rambling on and on, basically crazy, but we weren't murderers- we figured we'd just subdue him and bring him back home with us after the trip. One of our crewman, Gerry, a young seapup, was put in charge of watching over him; eventually, after a long enough time, they became friends, Gerry released the hand, and the first thing he did was kill the man who freed him before nearly killing the entire crew."

His lips turned distastefully, "The last thing I need is that happening to my crew, much less you. Your mother would kill me if she knew I, the careful one, allowed such a stupid thing to happen. So we're going to keep her down here, you'll say your peace, and we won't speak of this again, understand?"

More so than that, Angela understood her father's tone quite well. It was a mild return to the same one that led to his outburst in his quarters before, a place Angela didn't want to return to. Despite Hana's telling on her, her father didn't seem aware of the result of the discussion she'd had with Hana, a bond of saltwater taffy apparently far stronger than the one between mere crewmen. Were it the case, she hadn't a problem continuing her sneaking ways if it were necessary…

Her heart trembled as she spoke up, "I understand."

"Alright," Jack sighed, as if expecting a battle, turning back where they were headed, waving his daughter along, "There's a luau going on tonight, in a couple hours judging by the sunlight. I'm sure the whole crew would enjoy taking you alo- well, maybe not Junkrat; he seems to dislike sharing when firework-like stuff is involved. The others, though, definitely. I'd enjoy it too, you know; it's never good to treat family like associates."

"I suppose," Angela muttered quietly, the two making their way from the gun deck onto the stairway that led into the hold, leaving Angela to observe the absence of any 'guards' at its entrance.

Jack went on as they descended toward the hold, "She still has some bandages on her, so don't freak out. We had to feign her crewmanship to get a local doctor to see her, but all those considered, she wasn't too bad. A broken rib or two, but nothing a little rest wouldn't fix. She's seemed content enough with the new arrangement when I've come to check on her."

Angela felt a twist within her chest as she stepped far enough down the stairs, leaving her eyes just unobstructed by the top of the doorway, catching a glimpse of Fareeha overtop a collection of crates that sat between her and the entryway. Her mouth went dry, suddenly realizing she was about to meet with her again, a nervous assortment of butterflies welling up within her in time with a queasiness that lapped at her stomach. She suddenly wanted to stop, turn, and walk away, but not only would that deprive her of Fareeha's magnificent presence, it might also lead her father onto something being up. Either way, she knew she was stuck, even as the tension in her mind began to charge.

Jack allowed her entry first, following along behind as the two of them rounded the crates in the center of the room, Angela's heart jumping at the sight of Fareeha, her left leg crossed toward her as a book sat there, her hand lazily sat between this page and the last, while her other leg remain outstretched in time with her arm, which hung above her head in a lifeless display. Her tan face quickly rose just a bit, her eyes jumping toward the two newcomers before returning to her book, silently going along without much more in the way of acknowledgement of the two visitors.

As if to extricate himself from the awkward silence that was building, Jack took a step back, leaving Angela front and center, a lump swelling in her throat as she stood there, her insides trembling from the mounting pressure. Fareeha's shoulder was exposed as she wore her loose sleeve down along her arm, a great many bounds of tape covering her shoulder atop the large assortment of bandages that wound up her skin, the sight working up a guilty conscience within Angela as well.

"You know, I don't exactly enjoy being stared at," Fareeha finally spoke up, breaking Angela from her spell, though it was her father that replied first.

He cleared his throat, "Sorry. My daughter had some words for you, or so I thought."

Having the onus placed upon her, Angela worked up her nerve as Fareeha's eyes lifted just enough to peer up toward her, "I, uh… Thank you. for saving me."

Fareeha shrugged, "No big deal."

"I mean, it is," Angela retorted, suddenly, "You meant no harm to us. You merely wanted to be left alone, yet we had you tied up like a criminal after nearly killing you for such treacherous acts as keeping to yourself down here."

Fareeha noticed Captain Morrison's face become stony at his daughter's words, the stowaway offering simply, as though to him, "I knew the laws when I decided to do this. You know I was once a captain; I have nobody to blame but myself."

She went back to her book, "Still, I appreciate the thanks. Maybe learn how to fight on your own in the future. and I don't mean with that attitude of yours- it won't do much with hand-to-hand."

Jack couldn't help but grin at the stowaway's words, obscured by his place behind his daughter, whose face suddenly grew long in anger, "E-Excuse me?"

All Fareeha could do was cock a grin as her hand reached over, her two fingers gently taking the next page and flipping it to its opposite side, remaining quiet as she read silently, leaving Angela in a fuming state, prepared to reply in kind, though she quickly checked herself, realizing, again, that her father was there. Whatever feelings of adoration she might have had for her stowaway were once again thwarted as Fareeha, herself, merely proved an unnecessary hindrance to anything in the way of politeness.

Angela spun around with a frown, muttering under her breath, "So much for that thank you…"

As she stomped out of the room, her father followed behind, smiling lightly at the idea of his daughter's first experience with the stowaway proving to be a distasteful one. Despite his better judgement, he thought it to be a worthy requital toward any future thoughts she might have toward visiting the woman. Even if he knew not much of anything would stop Angela from doing whatever she wanted. It was a quality he had so admired about his wife; what seemed so lovely about the woman he'd married now seemed so troubling about the woman he'd raised.

A/N: I apologize for the length of time it took to put this chapter out. I've received a temporary promotion at work, which is honestly where I do most of my writing, so that's been putting a hindrance on such things, alongside the fact that the holiday season is fast approaching, meaning busy, busy, busy. If you'd like updates in-between chapters, I'd be more than happy to start posting more fan-fiction content on social media, specifically my Twitter- that's where most of my scheduling is revealed xD I'm thoroughly enjoying writing this story though, so I'm very excited to see so many positive comments here and on AO3; it really means a lot to me :)