I know, my last update wasn't what you expected.

Sarah-K-O-M: aww! Hugs all around!

Angelwings21: …

Ponysteph15: ah, no big, apology not needed.

LittleCountryDragon: well now you know, no?

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Kipp looked between Katrina and his uncle, dumbfounded and speechless.

"Well, now, Chip," Jack said, using Kipp's childhood nickname. "it seems I actually succeeded in surprising you."

Frustration helped Kipp regain his voice. "I told you not to call me that." he growled under his breath, causing Jack to grin a fraction wider. "How do you-"

"Know one another?" Jack finished for him. "Why I had the pleasure of making Lady Spitfire's acquaintance back in London a little over a year ago." He winked at Katrina and felt Kipp stiffen slightly beside him. An idea forming in his head, Jack decided to push it one step further. He stepped forward with another bow. "I must thank you for returnin' the ring to my nephew. You see, I was supposed to deliver it to him and he was rather distressed when he found that it had gone missin'." With that he picked up Katrina's hand and kissed the back of it, causing her to blush lightly and Sera to giggle.

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His uncle always had a way of making the most innocent things seem to take on different meanings. And the way he insinuated things tended to strike a nerve this time and aroused a twinge of emotion that Kipp couldn't place. Catching his uncle's knowing smile, he mumbled something about seeing that all the supplies where getting taken care of and went to go talk to Taidhgan, who was standing on the edge of the shore.

He was in the process of helping unload heavy crates when the sound of a shriek caused him to pause and look towards the cloth awning, where the little girl was running towards Link, who caught her up with a laugh. He spun her around once or twice before joining Katrina under the shade, looking like the perfect little family. The emotion twinged deep inside Kipp again, frustrated, he turned swiftly and strode into the trees covering the interior of the island.

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Sera was entranced by the story Link was telling her, squealing when he imitated one of the many monsters that the hero was encountering throughout the story. Katrina sat off to one side, watching them with a peaceful smile on her face. Seeing that Sera was in good hands she stood, intent on taking a walk, restless after being confined on a ship for the past couple of days.

Katrina was fascinated with the thick foliage and the difference in the plants between the forest around Bridgewood and that of the one covering the greater portion of the island. There were also little green lizards that scurried along the forest floor and around patches of flowers that Katrina had never seen before perfumed the air, above were beautifully colored birds and little nimble monkeys in the trees that chattered as they swung about. She was so amused by the little creatures that she tripped over a creeper vine that she hadn't noticed in time to avoid. Katrina gave a short cry of surprise and a soft whimper of pain, her foot still caught in the vine.

There was a sound of running and Kipp appeared in front of her crouching to help her up into a sitting position. "What happened? Are you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit dirty." Katrina replied, brushing off her clothes.

"Lets get you up then." Kipp pulled her up, but she cried out and bent to grab her ankle, falling back onto her butt in the process. "Just dirty?" Kipp raised one eyebrow and crouched down to gently untangle her foot.

"I may have twisted my ankle a little bit." Katrina grimaced at her ankle.

Swiftly but carefully, Kipp removed Katrina's borrowed boots and rolled up her pant leg to mid calf.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Katrina flushed and tried to pull away, but hissed in pain that the movement caused.

"Easy now." Kipp said soothingly. "Can you move it?"

"I-I think so." She responded, cautiously flexing her foot and wincing at the pain. Then he was gently prodding at her ankle.

"Does this hurt at all?"

"Not really." Katrina flinched as he poked at different spots.

"Wrap your arms around my neck." Kipp commanded in his no-nonsense captain's voice. Startled, Katrina did as he said and he swept her into his arms causing her to gasp.

"What do you think you are doing?" she demanded indignantly.

"You can't put weight on your ankle." Kipp replied calmly not breaking stride. "It can get worse if it isn't taken care of."

Katrina was quiet after that, listening to the animals and the wind in the trees which was soon joined by the sound of falling water. They stepped into a small clearing, in the middle was a pool of clear water, ripples spreading from the small waterfall that was splashing down a ten foot wall of rock.

"You can let go now." Kipp remarked his eyes twinkling, he had set her down on a small boulder at the edge of the water.

"Oh." Katrina blushed at him, quickly untangling her arms.

She watched as he bent to look at her ankle, then removed her other boot. "That ankle is fine." She protested.

He looked up at her with a lopsided grin. "You don't want to get your boot wet though, do you?" Before Katrina could ask what he meant, Kipp had picked her back up and turned her so that her feet and ankles were now immersed in the cool water. "How's that?"

"Hmm." Katrina said non-commental, though she leaned back on her hands, allowed her head to fall back and a small smile formed on her lips.

Kipp studied her for a moment and smiled. "We'll let it soak for a bit then." He bent down and picked up a hand full of rocks. "Hopefully that will prevent any swelling."

Katrina opened her eyes and lifted her head, watching him skip the rocks across the water. "Thank you."

He glanced at her then continued to skip rocks on the gently rippling surface of the pool. "For what?"

"For being so kind… and not expecting anything form me in return." She added after a moments hesitation.

"How do you know I don't expect anything from you?"

Katrina froze, studying him while he looked back at her, eyes twinkling with impish mischief and his lips twitching at the corners. "Oh! You're teasing me!" she exclaimed, leaned over and splashed water just as his face broke into that devilishly handsome grin that was so much like his uncle's. She hit him square in the face, water dripping down onto the front of his shirt. Kipp reached up and wiped the excess water off his face. His grin playfully broadened and Katrina's eyes widened.

"No mistreatment of the injured!" she squeaked. He took a few intimidating steps towards her. "No!" she cried as Kipp picked her up and held her over the water. He loosened his grip, experimentally dropping her a few inches. "No!" she threw her arms around his neck for stability. "Please put me down! On dry land!" She added when he began to lower towards the water.

Kipp tightened his grip, regaining the few inches she had slipped and Katrina turned her eyes towards his and his grin slowly faded. "Please," Katrina whispered, dropping her eyes. "put me down."

Without a word Kipp gently set her back down on the boulder and took a seat on another. They were both silent for a time. Kipp staring at the waterfall and Katrina playing with her locket, searching for something to say. "This place is beautiful." She finally said.

"Yes, it was her favorite spot." Kipp pulled the ring from his pocket and watched as it sparkled in his palm. "My father worked extra hours for almost a year to get enough money to buy this ring. I can still remember him giving it to my mother on their sixth anniversary. It was her favorite and always wore it for special occasions."

"I have something like that." Katrina said after a few moments. "This was my mother's." she slid the locket off and opened the lid. Katrina gazed at the picture she had long since memorized. Her mother was sitting on a chair. Her two brothers standing to the side and a little behind her, each with one hand on her shoulders, their parents centered behind them. The miniature was exquisitely done. The artist managed to capture the liveliness in the three younger people and the love and pride in the parent's faces that shown through their sedate expressions.

Nostalgia swept over Katrina and she clicked the locket shut before she lost control of her emotions. She lovingly traced the "E" elegantly engraved on the cover of the locket with her finger before clasping it back around her neck. She fiddled with her locket, running the silver oval along its chain and twisting the chain around the locket and her fingers. After a few moments of silence she glanced at Kipp who was watching her with an expression of curiosity written on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Just wondering how you happen to know my crewman." Kipp shrugged

"Who? Link?" Kipp nodded. "Oh, we worked at the same manor house." Kipp continued to watch her and raised an eyebrow and "Oh fine. If you want the whole story…"

"I do." Kipp stated.

Katrina looked at him incredulously.

"Really."

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that's it for now

I decided to do a saying for the week instead of a quote:

Last night I dreamt I ate a ten pound marshmallow. When I woke up this morning, my pillow was gone.