AN: I'm really kind of proud of this story so far. Read and review please! =)

Chapter 3

I'm Not Gonna Sleep In the Hallway!

"So Abby, back to your usual outfit then, eh?" Gavin said as he emerged from the kitchen with two cups of tea. She had put on her jeans and sweater, but took some time to do her face with some light makeup.

"Only because it's a little cold this morning. You didn't honestly think I was going to strut around in outfits like that every day, did you?"

"Well yes, actually," he said, sitting down at the table to join the rest of the group. She joined him and sipped the tea that he had given her. "It was a refreshing sight to see an attractive woman for once. No offense to our dear Felicity of course."

"Thank you," Felicity sang from the kitchen while making toast.

"I'm not the type of girl who parades around for men," Abby said, as she sat down beside Gavin. "I just wanted to prove a point to everyone."

"That being?" Dave asked.

"Never judge by first appearances. You never know what's underneath," she said with a smile.

"Point well made my dear. Even though I would do laps around this barge to get a peek of what's 'underneath'," Dave mumbled the last bit while putting a large piece of egg in his mouth. "So, tell us about yourself. You've been on this boat for months now and we hardly know a thing about you."

"Well, I grew up in the States. My mom met my dad at a diner where she was waitressing and they got married after they found out she was pregnant with yours truly," she said as she spread her hands in front of her as a 'ta-da!' motion. "They were married for about 10 years but they fought all of the time. Eventually, they decided that they'd rather part as friends instead of trying to stay and one of them winds up killing the other. I stayed with my mom and dad found a great job in Manchester. He visited me as often as he could until he got hired as a radio-deejay on this boat. I hadn't seen him in 5 years."

"You were seventeen the last time he saw you?"

"Yup. Graduated high school and got accepted to an all-girls college, where I got kicked out and then I ended up here." They listened intently as she told her story. Angus, who had joined the group when Abby mentioned she got kicked out of school, spoke as he sat down at the table.

"Why did you get kicked out?"

"Uh, I did something bad." Then men looked at each other with a sneer on each of their faces.

"Something bad, eh? Was it a 'dirty-bad' or a 'naughty-bad'?" Gavin said, swinging his leg over the other and grinning stupidly at her.

"How about bad in the way that some girl ended up with a bloody lip and a black eye and a few broken ribs? And you should really get your mind out of the gutter," Abby told him with a disgusted look.

"You beat another girl up?" Simon asked, shocked. He was obviously used to women being dainty and feminine. "Why would you do that?"

"My reasons were complicated. She said something that set me off, and she got the shit beat out of her."

"Well, you demonstrated your abilities on Angus not too long ago, so we'll take your word for it," Gavin said, jerking his head in Angus' direction. Abby giggled at his absently rubbing his stomach where she had punched him. She really did feel bad about hurting him, even though it was a while ago. Maybe if I made him a batch of s cookies or something...

"Don't remind me," Angus said miserably.

"Well, I got a few bumps and bruises too, but since the other girl ended up in worse shape than me, I was the one that got expelled. I don't miss it at all though; the teachers were way too strict for my liking and those hoity-toity princesses that strutted around the campus made me sick."

"Hoity-toity princesses are my bread and butter," Gavin said, smirking again. Abby nudged him in the stomach with her elbow, but was laughing while she did it.

"I'll bet they are, you pig."

"Well, well. Look who decided to join us," Dave said. Mark stumbled into the dining room, his hair messier than usual. His eyes were lined with dark bags, as if he had trouble sleeping that night. "You look awful, mate."

Mark grunted in response and headed for the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. When he returned, he slumped into a chair, took a big gulp of his drink and stared into his mug when he set it back on the table.

"You gave him the shock of his life when she said 'no' to him. Not your type, or just playing heard to get?" Angus asked. Abby merely shrugged and rose from her seat.

"Not every girl has to fall into his bed the moment he opens his mouth," she said matter-of-factly, making sure Mark heard every word she was saying. "And I find it very hard to believe that I'm actually the first one who didn't fall for that line. He just needs to get over it." She headed towards the kitchen and hesitantly began her chore of washing the pile of dirty dishes that lined the counter.

August, 1967. Night

The night sky welcomed Abby as she made her way on deck. The fresh air was her nightly reward after a long day of chores and listening to the repulsive remarks from the deejays. They were a great group of guys, but some of the things they said made her skin crawl.

She leaned on the edge of the boat and closed her eyes, revelling in the peace and quiet. She opened them suddenly when she heard footsteps coming from behind her in the dark. Slightly hyperventilating, she turned around to see who was there. The only thing she saw was the burning end of a cigarette, until a person came into view. It was Mark.

He gave Abby a half-smile as he stood beside her and leaned on the railing. She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't leave her spot. Why should she? She was there first.

"Nice night." She nearly jumped when she heard his voice after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah," she said, coolly. He offered her a cigarette which she took and lit it for her. Silence hung in the air again.

"Listen," Mark said finally, "I'm sorry about what I said about you being disgusting and all. You're not. It was just something stupid I said and...I'm sorry." He turned and looked at Abby, who was staring at him, her eyes bigger than they usually were. "What's wrong?"

"That's...the most I've ever heard you say!" He laughed at her comment and turned his head back to the sea.

"Just because I don't talk as much as the others, it doesn't mean I don't know how. What was it you said about judging books by their covers?"

Abby blushed from embarrassment as she remembered the point she had made earlier in the week. She was doing to Mark exactly what everyone else had done to her.

"Just so you don't feel too badly, this is the most I've ever said to anyone on this boat, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this conversation between us. I've got to keep my reputation going," he said. Abby smiled at him and held out her hand for him to shake.

"Deal," she said as he shook her hand. She placed her hand back in her pocket, ignoring the warm feeling she felt from there. "So why, then?"

"Why, what?"

"Why don't you talk more often? You've got a great voice." She nearly slapped her hand over her mouth, but stopped when she saw the shy smile on his face.

"Never really found the need to. Plus, I don't want to end up saying something stupid. People tend to like you better when there's an air of mystery around you."

"Well, I don't know about that," Abby joked. "I didn't like you when I first met you."

"I know, and I'm sorry again. Do you mind if we maybe started over?"

"Sure." They shook hands again and spent the rest of the time staring out into the sea in silence. An hour or so passed, and Abby held up her hand to her mouth to try and stifle a yawn. She shook her head slightly and smiled sleepily. "I think I'll head back in now. And don't worry," she said, turning to him as she left, "Your secret's safe with me."

Mark watched her go below deck as he inhaled his cigarette. He meant it when he said he never spoke that much to anyone on the boat. Aside from his parents, who were both dead, no one ever heard him have a real conversation, especially with a girl. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out how Abby had managed to get him to talk so easily. He shook his head, hoping to clear it. Sure, he wanted to sleep with her, all the guys on the boat did. But talk to her? The old Mark would have never tried so hard.

What the hell was happening to him?

One night, a couple of months later, he was going down to his room after he had a smoke on deck. On the way, he spotted Abby about to knock on the Count's door.

"I thought you were going to sleep," he whispered, trying to make sure no one heard him.

"Would you believe that I can't get in my room?" Mark raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"What? Why?"

"You know how my dad made sure that my room is the only one on the boat with a lock on it? Well Kevin, that fucking idiot, forgot that I slept in there and locked the door!" She rolled her eyes in frustration. Despite her annoyance, Mark laughed at her situation.

"There's no use asking your dad if he's got an extra key. Quentin has them all."

"Okay, then I'll ask him to give me one."

"No use in that either. If Quentin is in his room, no one bothers him. It's a rule."

"Well, what the hell? I'm not gonna sleep in the hallway!" Abby nearly yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She looked at Mark, as if he had a solution. He stared back at her.

"What? I don't know what to tell you! The only thing I can think of right now is that you can sleep in my room." Abby raised an eyebrow at him.

"That'd be convenient for you. You'd have me right where you want me!"

"I only meant that I would be going to do my show in about ten minutes, so you wouldn't be bothered, and you wouldn't be bothering anybody either."

"Oh." Abby looked at her feet, considering his offer. She really didn't have much choice but to accept. She glared up at him, her voice lined with aggravation. "If this was happening a few months ago, I wouldn't even think about doing this. And if anyone asks, you don't know anything."

"Okay," Mark whispered as he led her down the hall to his room. He opened the door quietly and when Abby stepped in, she was surprised at what she saw.

The room was dark, with only the smallest light coming from a lamp in the corner. It was neat too; compared to the Count's room, this was the only other room she'd seen. A large poster of Jim Morrison was tacked up on one side of the wall (she figured that's who he idolized), and other posters of various bands lined the rest of the walls. His collection of records was stacked in milk crates in the corner of one room.

"Huh," she said absently. Mark looked at her.

"What?"

"Your bed is made. Never would've thought you were the type."

"Yeah, well, living with a strict Auntie will do that to you. Here," he said as he pulled back the covers. The both of them stood staring at the bed awkwardly.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Abby told him. He shook himself out of his trance and scowled at her.

"Hey, there's no need to get cheeky. I'm doing you a favour, remember?"

"Don't turn this on me. If Kevin wasn't so stupid, then I wouldn't even be here right now. I'd be in my own bed, with my green polka-dot pyjamas on. Oh, hell! Why did I just tell you that?"

"You know, the dining room is free if you want. You don't have to stay here. This is why I never talk to anyone. What good does it get me? Just being yelled at, that's all!" Mark stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Abby stuck her tongue out at his back, and flopped down onto the bed. The nerve of him! Folding down the covers for her like she was a kid who needed to be tucked in and kissed on the forehead! Well, knowing him, he'd probably snake a kiss on her lips. A melting kiss too, one that he'd give to any girl he'd try to shag. He'd probably somehow manage to get his tongue in there somewhere, while his hands were busy at the buttons on her jeans...

Whoa. Get a hold of yourself, missy. She wiped away the sweat that suddenly appeared on her forehead, slipped between the sheets and tried getting comfortable, but the image of her and Mark together still lingered in her mind. He's a rat, remember? A no good, can't-keep-his-prick-in-his-pants rat. And he made fun of you. He did apologize for it, though. Or was he just trying to play you and now he has you in his room and could come in and attack you at any minute? She heard Mark's intro on the loudspeakers out in the hallway and his velvety voice and managed to calm down. Okay, he won't come in and attack you. But now that I've actually talked to him and kind of gotten to know him, he seems nice. But I won't let my guard down. Not for one minute...