Carolyn stirred in her bed later that night. Her conversation with the Captain earlier that evening kept swimming in her mind, leaving her slumber-less and unsettled.

She could not help but wonder why he has suddenly suggested such a thing like that, and more importantly why she had to make her decision by tomorrow morning. The exponential circumstance, his proposal offered, seemed rather unnerving to her.

Carolyn shifted beneath the sheets, her mind running away with a hundred thoughts.

Although the Muir family has just only freshly begun their third year at Gull Cottage, Carolyn could not help but reflect on the emotional changes that have occurred during their second year stay aboard the 'Captain's Ship', as Captain Gregg referred to the house. And these most peculiar changes seemed to have been most profound, shortly after Carolyn's parents had renewed their vows during their visit.

It seemed to Carolyn even then, though in secret; that her relationship with the Captain was slowly escalating, metamorphosing into a higher form of connection. An emotional bond that was beginning to blur the lines of their friendship. Oh the bond was there, always there though in secret; dormant and unheard, its calls emerging only as a whisper of an echo, muffled by circumstance, and silenced by the barriers that separated their worlds.

But still in spite of their little adversities, that bond grew and flourished through the time they had well spent together.

Carolyn Muir sighed in her bed, her thoughts chaotic. Night did not bring the soothing comfort of slumber as she first anticipated. She had fully expected to be asleep by now, and the remnants of the earlier evening's events to be temporarily forgotten. But as she glanced at the clock that hung above the mantle, which read two a.m, she knew it was going to be a long night ahead.

Soon daylight would be looming, and before a moment's notice; would break over the horizon in well over a few hours, to Carolyn's dismay. If this was any other morning, she would have looked forward to it with her characteristic optimism and enthusiasm. But in the hours of twilight, after enduring a long battle with herself, the morning that awaited her was more than less welcome.

And she was right.

From the moment she awoke, to the time she had eaten her breakfast, her mind was apprehensive and on edge. Carolyn desperately longed for an excuse to remain in bed for the remainder of the day, but she knew that would absurd. All throughout the early morning, she found her mood that to be of a tense, and highly agitated mindset. When the children, including Martha, inquired of her troubles; she forced a white lie and had merely said her mind was preoccupied with a story she was writing. Liar. The type-writer remained untouched since yesterday evening.

Carolyn then proceeded to evade the lot of them with a last recourse of action, fending off any further queries and curious stares, by excusing herself early from the breakfast table.

In hindsight, that decision was a bad idea. For she now was back in the Master Cabin, gingerly counting the minutes to when the clock would strike at 8 a.m.

She sat at her desk idly chewing on her bottom lip. For what seemed like a long while, she got lost in her little sphere of thought, when suddenly she felt the atmosphere begin to shift considerably. He was coming and she could feel it. Carolyn took a final glance at the time and noted that it was a mere few seconds before 8.

She steeled herself for whatever laid ahead.

Somewhere, in the air around her, was Captain Gregg. He was watching her through a sheath of diaphanous energy that kept him from materializing into the room, not just yet.

He studied her features carefully, and tried to decipher the hidden thoughts that that were encased behind every fluttery blink and in her every look. But knowing her mind as he does, he would be well prepared for whatever aim she was to throw in his direction. And he most certainly was not going to let up without a hearty fight.

Soon thereafter, just as the clock chimed eight, the Captain materialized himself promptly into the room.

"Good Morning, Madame." Greeted the Captain with a smile, and a light bow.

"Good Morning to you too, Captain." Replied Carolyn with a pensive smile of her own.

She looked at the Captain as he walked over to her desk, and took a casual seat on the spot that was absent of papers or pencils.

"I trust that you slept well?"

Carolyn chuckled dryly, "That remains to be seen." She was toying with a pencil in between her fingers, before realizing that he was waiting for her next statement.

"Captain," She continued, feeling a slight headache cruise its way through her head, "I know we made an agreement that I would make my choice today, in regards to that strange little request you mentioned yesterday evening-"

"Ahh, yes. And have you made your decision?" Asked Captain Gregg, hiding the slight hesitation in his voice.

"Yes...and I can't do it...I just can't. I'm sorry, Captain Gregg." Responded Carolyn with a shake of her head, and with a lingering trace of remorse in her tone. "I do hope you understand." She added.

"Oh I do, Mrs. Muir." He answered, tugging at his sleeves.

"You're not angry with me then?"

"Certainly not. After all I'm a very reasonable man-"

"Very reasonable." She said in agreement, and secretly felt relief that his reaction towards her decision, was in a sense, tolerable. No temper squalls, no heated arguments. For today at least.

But the one thing that Carolyn had forgotten, was that some storms can insidiously begin even on a cloudless, sunny day.

"And I should have known a woman would not be suitable to a gargantuan task such as this." Stated Captain Gregg nonchalantly, nodding his head as though he concurred to his own conclusion.

The bait was set.

"I beg your pardon?" Reacted Carolyn with a frisson of impotent ire, one brow raised.

"After all, only a man could be truly suited for such a feat. For man has the capacity to be daring in its full extent, and to be fearless in the face of uncharted waters."

"And you consider women to be none of those things?"

"Aye. Of course they are. In their own special way." Patronized the Captain.

Carolyn could not help but feel infuriated at his tone. "Captain, are you suggesting that as a woman, I am incompetent to do a man's job?"

"No dear lady. A woman most certainly can do a man's job if they desire to do so-" He explained, in hopes of softening her edges before they sharpen. Still, he could not supress the nefarious smirk that curved the corner of his lips as he began to close his trap. "Only men, naturally, can do it better. That's why I am in complete agreement with your wise decision."

Carolyn looked at him and felt a little uneasy.

What was he planning?

She would find out soon enough.

Shortly after he had said his piece, the Captain stood up from his seat on her desk and bowed once again, a sign that the conversation was over and it was time for him to de-materialized, when Mrs. Muir stopped him abruptly.

"Wait!'" Said Carolyn, her gaze interlocking into his as her final decision solidified, against her better judgement.

The Captain looked at her expectantly.

"Yes?"

"I...I change my mind..." The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She saw his trap a second too late.

The Captain gave her a most jovial, yet triumphant smile. "I shan't argue with that, after all women are prone to change their decisions more often than not."

Carolyn sighed, feeling rather exasperated; knowing it was futile to fight against him, and was now seeing clearly how he had come to convince her to change her mind. "I'll do the blasted thing." She retorted with gritted teeth.

Captain Gregg's mischievous glance then softened as he looked at her. "I won't force you to do anything you do not wish Madame. You know that. Truly-"

"Well, you didn't need to resort in using my 'feminine integrity', as a ploy to achieve your desired result Captain." Intercepted Carolyn Muir, her eyes showing her hurt. "I may be stubborn, but in case you have forgotten, I am not entirely without feelings."

There was a brief silence between them.

"I can see that my actions have hurt you." He said with downcast eyes, his voice rather rueful, "I am sorry...But you see," Spoke the Captain in a gentle voice as he moved to stand at her side, "It was the only way I could think of for you to change your decision..." His voice trailed off, realizing that she wouldn't look it him. "Blast it all Madame...you're as stubborn as I, perhaps even more so." Said Captain Gregg, a mixture of fondness and frustration now evident in his voice. "And as I said before, you don't have to do it. What I am saying is, it would mean a great deal to me, and I am asking it in the best way that I can if you would do it, for me. I would not ask such a feat from you had the request been a mere trifle in nature."

Carolyn Muir sat there listening to him, as she felt the strength of her resolve once again erode away at the sound of his voice. This, this was his greatest weapon - his blasted sincerity.

She knew now that there was no other choice but to do it. And besides, by now she was at the point where her curiosity had grown far stronger than the complexities of her doubts. He had a very important reason, and a significant one at that, for him to be asking this of her. A very big reason indeed. And as her writer's instinct began to be aroused by the hovering mystery that surrounded his request, Carolyn Muir now realized that there was no going back.

And as she gazed into his cerulean eyes, she knew there was more than adventure that awaited them both.

"Alright, Captain." She said softly, "Alright."