A/N: Finished this story last night I'm I'm happy how it turned out. Only 29 chapters in the story so the last two will be posted whenever. My plans are evil for this chapter. David punching an old friend and my character does a test. (Results will be seen soon.) :] Anyhoo, read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 27: Back to the Venture (again)

(Tori POV)

She jumped to the Venture, the place she knew she couldn't go. It was her only refuge though. 'Unlike Ashley, I'm sneaky.' Tori made sure to jump into Preston's cabin. It was the middle of the night and she hesitated about waking him. 'Especially since things ended not so well with us...' With a deep breath, Tori whispered, "Preston. Preston?"

Preston groaned and opened his eyes. They got wider once he saw Tori. "Tori?" he hissed, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to hide, of course," she told him.

Preston sat up and picked his glasses up from the bedside table. "How'd you get here? Did Ashley bring you? If she's here you know she'll-"

"I teleported," Tori said with a bright smile.

"You…You what?" Preston's eyes went wide in shock. She nodded and put her bag down, leaping at him for a hug. Preston pulled back and she eyed him with nervousness. "That's great but I thought you couldn't."

Tori shrugged. "I guess I can now. So is it okay if I just hide here for a while, without you going nuts and telling the captain?"

He sighed. "I guess. But don't leave my room, understand?" She nodded and he got out of bed, already dressed in his grey trousers and red long sleeved button down. Tori sat on his bed with her hands in her lap and a grin on her face as Preston left the room.

---

(Ashley POV)

'They just HAD to come along…' Griffin and David followed through her jumpscar to the hold of the Venture. Ashley looked around and saw the cages were empty. Smiling, she turned to the guys and said, "Look. Stay here or something. You two can't be seen. Bad enough I'm here," she mumbled the last part.

"And stay down here in this smelly…what ever this place is? No thanks," Griffin nearly growled. David just shrugged and tilted his head.

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine, just follow me." She walked the few feet over to the ladder up to the deck. Ashley put a finger to her lips and looked back at Griffin and David before climbing up and poking her head out to look around. No one was on the deck and everything was dark except for a few of the lights up in the bridge. "Clear," she said as she hoisted her self the rest of the way up. She thought she saw someone walking near the door to the galley and waved her hand back, accidentally hitting someone in the face.

"Ow! Bloody hell," Griffin grumbled.

"Sorry," Ashley whispered. She could hear the ever present sound of snickering coming from David. The two men were up on the deck and crouching at her side behind a wooden crate. "We need to find Preston. Where ever he is, she'll be."

"Who's Preston?" David asked in a hushed voice.

"Her ex," Ashley told him very nonchalantly. She glanced up at the crow's nest above them. Someone was in the nest, leaning against the railing. 'Could that be…? No! Don't.' She exhaled deeply and looked at the bridge. "Okay, the captain should be in his room going over maps right now. We can make a run for it across the deck to the cabins. On the count of three. One… Two…" Before Ashley said three, she took off; bolting towards the familiar door to the cabins.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the two following her. That's when she smacked right into someone. "Excuse me," she said in a fake deep voice as she kept her head down.

"You're excused Ashley," the person said gruffly.

Her eyes went wide and she glanced up, seeing Captain Englehorn standing with his arms crossed. He looked just the same as he did since the last time she saw him, just a little more of stubble on his chin. Ashley laughed nervously. "H-Hi captain."

"You owe me a boat," he said. Englehorn looked past her, seemingly at David and Griffin. "Who are they? More stowaways?"

"No no no," Ashley said, shaking her hands in front of her defensively. "See we just came to-"

"I don't need to hear the excuse," he said in a low voice. His tone was harsh and Ashley flinched a little.

"Are you the captain of this boat?" she heard Griffin's voice ask.

"I am," Captain Englehorn said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Right well, we're just here to get Tori and go so if you'll excuse us-"

"Tori's here?" Englehorn questioned.

Ashley looked up at the captain. 'That right. He liked her. Wonder if he still does…' "She should be. We just want to get her out of your way, sir."

Captain Englehorn narrowed his eyes. "Alright. Get her and leave since you obviously don't belong here anymore."

"Aye," Ashley said before skittering past him.

---

(David POV)

They followed Ashley through a narrow hallway on the boat. She seemed to know where exactly she was and where she was going. "So you've been here before?" David asked.

Over Griffin's shoulder he saw Ashley nod. "We lived here for about a week. It still feels like home, too," she said with a sigh.

"Why'd you leave?" he asked.

Ashley stopped in front of a door. "Because we we're worried we'd mess up something up…like history." She opened the door and walked in. Griffin followed her and David was last in. He set eyes on Tori, who was laying across the lap of an unknown man. The man had glasses and short black hair. David's jaw dropped. "Preston," Ashley said while kneeling down in front of him, "what happened?"

"I went to get her something to eat and when I came back she was passed out. As if she fainted or something."

David eyed Preston with suspicion. 'This must be the guy Ashley mentioned.' "So we'll take over from here Preston. Thanks for watching over her," Ashley said while pulling Tori off Preston's lap with Griffin's help.

"W-Who are your friends?" Preston asked, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

David, doing nothing at the current moment and time, took it upon himself to introductions. "I'm David and he's Griffin." Preston gave a nod as Griffin jumped away, holding onto Tori's arms.

"Left get back David," Ashley said in a low tone.

"Hey. Tell Tori I miss her," Preston trailed off and looked at the floor. David grumbled and felt his hands curl into fists. "I mean… Things ended weird for us and-" Preston was cut off by David's fist.

Ashley took hold of David's other arm and pulled him hissing at him to back off. "Tori's moved on," David said to Preston, who was on the floor and rubbing his cheek.

Ashley gave David a shove back and said, "Get back to the lair." He scowled and jumped back to Griffin's lair.

---

(Ashley POV)

She turned to Preston and held out a hand to help him up. "I'm sorry about him," she said softly.

Preston took her hand and stood, leaning against his closet door. "I guess he's the new guy, huh?"

Ashley nodded her head from side to side. "Yeah…"

Just then, the cabin door flew open and Jimmy barged in. Ashley caught sight of him and froze. She mumbled a word or two before turning back to Preston and giving him a nod. She shut her eyes and was just about to jump when Jimmy said, "Wait." Something caught in her throat and rendered her unable to speak. Ashley winced as if in pain. "Ash," Jimmy's voice said, "You're leaving already?"

She let out a quick breath and nodded. 'What should I say? I don't even know what to say to him…'

"Without saying hi or nothin'?" he asked in a playful tone.

Ashley turned around and tried to smile. "Well…it's complicated," she said. Her voice cracked with every other syllable she spoke and she couldn't look him in the eye. She stared at the ground as she spoke.

"I'll just uh, give you two a moment," Preston could be heard saying. Ashley looked over her shoulder and saw Preston leave the room, shutting the door behind him softly.

"I guess now would be a good time to ask you about that note you wrote me," Jimmy half questioned, putting his hands into his pockets.

Shaking her head, Ashley averted her eyes from him to the door. "Uh sure? I have to get back soon though…" A crinkling noise signaled that he was pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. 'Does he carry it around with him?'

Jimmy cleared his throat and read the note. "Just know I'm here whenever ya need me. Keep my things right where I left 'em, because I'll come back. When I see what I need ta see and find myself; I'll come back to you."

'Yeah… That's my note,' Ashley thought with a sigh. 'It sounds different coming from Jimmy.' He continued to speak. 'But that's all I wrote…'

"I'm here and waitin' to hear it, but when will you need me?"

Her jaw fell open, amazed at his words yet crashing down at the same time. "I wish I could tell you it all now, Jimmy. I really wish I could," she told him as she backed up and leaned against the closet door where Preston previously was. Jimmy stepped forward and held his arms out to her. With hesitation, she stepped forward and hugged him. "But I have to get back to Griffin." Ashley looked up and found herself staring into his eyes. 'Those eyes…' Something was familiar about them, other than being Jimmy's. She pulled away from him and gave him a friendly smile. 'I get it now.' "Jimmy," she said in a curious tone.

"Hm?"

"You still have my bear right?"

Jimmy nodded. "Do you want it back?"

"No. Next time you see me, can you tell me he's okay?" she asked.

He gave her an odd look. "You can just take him with you if you-"

"I can't," Ashley protested, "I'm testing a theory."

"Okay then. Guess I'll be seein' ya," Jimmy said with his classic crooked smile. Ashley nodded and waved before jumping back to the lair.