Thought I should update fast to make sure you all know how much I appreciate you for not giving up on me. I can't promise all updates will be this close together but I will try to not let them get too far apart. Thanks again!

Chapter 14: Riptide

Captain Campbell finished redoing her buttons and straightened her jacket before heading for the door. She looked back at girl curled up in their bed and let out a groan, her face clearly saying I don't want to go. One of the men had interrupted them; they had been loading the ship and one of the town merchants was arguing over the price of their wares. Bad weather always bred poor moods and harder haggling; people were less generous now that other ships may be delayed by the storms and cold.

"Captain's work is never done." Emily said patiently, trying to ease the girl's mind. "It's ok. Really!"

It was obvious that Naomi didn't believe her so she slid out of bed, wrapping the sheet around herself loosely as she padded across the floor to place another warm kiss on the captain's lips.

"There's always tonight…and I have to fix that letter anyway." The redhead assured, "…and it was fun while it lasted."

"I'll hold you to that…" She said with a smile.

The redhead sat back down at the desk and pulled the letter open to begin copying the letter onto fresh parchment.

Before closing the door behind her the captain added, "If you want to…you know…send your father a letter as well…Cook will deliver that too."

"Yes, I think it will get there faster by boat than by bottle." Emily smiled. "Thank you."

As soon as the door was closed the girl discarded both pieces of parchment and began fresh. When it was done she sealed the letter properly. She calmed her nerves as she got dressed; fitting herself into a dress that she knew was one of Naomi's favorites. She spent a few moments to smooth the soft pale blue fabric of the dress and tied a ribbon into her hair as she gathered up the letter and a shawl before leaving the quarters. Emily shivered in the unseasonable cold as she stepped carefully on deck and made her way to the ramp and onto the dock. The redhead couldn't help but smile to herself when she saw Naomi, a few feet away, holding her ground with the arguing merchant. The Captain's face set with determination as the large man stood with his arms crossed, but his face falling a little more with every demand she made sternly. The female captain was obviously proving to be less of a push over than he had anticipated and they both knew it.

A loud call from the end of the dock caught the redhead's attention and she strode confidently towards Mr. Cook who was waiting impatiently.

"It's only fucking freezing…take your time…" he said sourly.

"Ems, Ems, Ems…" the bird on his shoulder twittered excitedly.

"Oi. Don't turn tail on me!" He teased, "We're supposed to be mad at her."

"And exactly what did I do?" Emily asked, putting on a sweet smile and batting her eyes.

"Oh don't get me wrong, you two being together gives me lots of pleasant dreams…but suddenly I'm a bloody messenger?" Despite his bluster she could tell he wasn't truly angry, perhaps a little hurt, but not angry.

"Captain's orders not mine." She insisted. "But I really am sorry…"

"…ah don't got taking me seriously now all the sudden." Cook shrugged off his bad mood. "Though if you really are feeling guilty you could convince Naomikins to make it up to me by letting me join in…"

"Here's the letter…" Emily laughed.

"Or watch…I'm easy!" He called after her. "You're forgetting something."

"No…" She said even as she was struggling to remember if she had forgotten something.

"JJ." Cook said.

"I don't have any biscuits…" She answered.

"You have to watch him." He said as he shrugged the shoulder the parrot was perched on. "He tends to call a lot of attention, stands out ya know…so it's best he stays here were he is all comfy cozy…"

Emily reached out her hand to take the bird, leaning in close as he rustled his feathers in confusion, unsure of how to get him to come to her.

"Just lean in closer and he'll hop on over." Cook said.

As JJ positioned himself on Emily's shoulder Cook took the opportunity to give her bottom a light squeeze. The redhead shot up straight; sending JJ flapping to hold his position on her shoulder as she gave the man a sharp slap across the face.

"I meant what I said…you two might enjoy it." He laughed, as he received another slap across the face. "Still worth it. Awe you can't blame me for trying…" he called after her.

"Never do that again!" Emily fumed as she stomped down the dock towards the ship.

"I make no promises!" He chuckled as he boarded a small ship.

The brown eyed girl was still blushing as she brushed past the Captain on her way back on board. The merchant was making his way back up the dock with his shoulders slumped and Naomi followed Emily up the ramp with a triumphant smile on her face.

"I see Cookie's ship has set off." The blonde sated.

"Oh yes, he's off…" The redhead replied sourly.

"Made a move on you did he?" She smiled. "The bird trick?" She added with a chuckle.

Emily spun around; her mouth agape and frustration gleaming in her brown eyes. Naomi paused as her girlfriend struggled to find words before turning on her heel and stomping to their room and slamming the door behind her.

"Emily." The captain called after finding the door locked. "Emily!"

The blonde listened for a moment but heard no response.

"Open this door right now!" She shouted as she pounded the door.

JJ's squawks and calls were the only muffled sounds coming from the room. Captain Campbell took a deep breath to compose herself; she turned and scanned the deck quickly. The few crew members who had been watching immediately jumped back into action loading and making the boat ready. She turned back to face the door, a few frustrated tears clinging precariously to the corners of her eyes, and leaned her head against the door with a sigh.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have laughed…" She murmured, "…I thought you'd be used to him by now…"

"That shouldn't matter!" Emily finally answered from the other side of the door. "It should bother you."

"You know he doesn't mean anything he says, he doesn't think about half the things he does. Sure he's a complete prat most of the time, but deep down…" Naomi defended awkwardly, suddenly finding herself caught between the two people she trusted most.

"He's in love with you." The redhead spat.

"What? No he isn't. It's not like that." Naomi stammered. "And even if he is I don't love him…I love you…"

The blonde could hear the scrape of the lock being pulled back. The redhead cracked the door open, her cheeks still bright red and now slightly damp, sniffling a little as she did so.

"I love you too." She said in a raspy tone, "That's why it should matter to you…no matter who it is."

"I'm sorry…" The blue eyed girl murmured, her brows furrowing as she fought guilty tears.

They locked eyes for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts in the unsettling silence, before Emily opened the door and motioned the captain in. Naomi stepped into the room slowly; letting the door creak gradually shut behind her as the girl crossed the room to the desk and fed a cracker to the still frazzled bird perched on the edge of the desk.

"Emily…I…" The blonde began.

"It's fine…" The redhead insisted, sniffling back the last of her tears and putting on a smile. "It's been a long week…weeks…a lot is going on. I'll admit I'm a bit on edge."

"But you were right, if I didn't know him so well I would have…and it shouldn't matter…" Naomi mumbled, "…I didn't think."

Emily crossed the room and wrapped the blue eyed girl in a warm hug.

"I love you and we are together. That's all that matters…" She said softly.

Once again they were interrupted by a crew member banging on the door and announcing that the Lament was loaded and ready to set sail. Captain Campbell dried her eyes and took the other girl by the hand. A thick fog was rolling in as the ship left the bay and Emily shivered as she stood next to Naomi at the wheel as the world seemed to evaporate around them into a hazy white blur.


A week had passed and the Bloody Whore was still undergoing repairs - however the worst of the damage was mended and the vessel was less damp and made quieter complaints as it rocked in the water. This was little comfort to Katie; who was still feeling like a captive, forced to wait on the ship for Captain Stonem to return with news. News that was very rarely of any use to them; as the week had passed the cooped up girl had become more and more assured that if she wanted results she would have to step in. Conversation had never been their strong suit and each night the wild woman staggered to their room more intoxicated and making less sense than the night before; any questioning from the redhead inevitably lead to physical distraction.

Katherine Fitch stood in front of the mirror admiring her disguise, she had done a good job of it, she barely recognized herself. The redhead had the good fortune of finding several wigs in one of the dressers; making her disguise much more convincing once she had settled on a light blonde one that was the least damaged. Still it had taken quite a bit of time and effort to arrange it so that it looked natural but the effort had paid off. With a last glance at the mirror she straightened the plain dress she was wearing, the same one from the night she had first set out on to rescue her sister, and headed for the door with her now blonde head held high.

From the doorway of the Rowdy Dancer she could see Captain Stonem engaged in conversation with a dark haired man at the end of the bar. For a moment it crossed the disguised girl's mind that she had no idea what she was doing; but as she watched the brunette banter with the patron she assured herself that this would not be difficult – not that much different than the socializing and gossiping that had come as easily as breathing a few months ago. Katherine made her way to the bar and sipped wine as she waited for someone to approach her, knowing she would not have to wait for long.

"Good evening me'lady." A scraggly looking blonde man slurred as he slammed a large mug down on the bar. "I'll have another!" He called the bartender.

"Good evening…" She answered him coyly, cocking her head slightly and giving him a seductive smile.

"Pardon me for saying but you are by far the most fucking fit girl I have seen since I landed in this shit hole. And I've been here all day." He slurred again, taking another moment to look her over. "…you look…kind of familiar…do I know you?"

Without pause she batted her brown eyes playfully and answered. "No…I think I would remember meeting you before…"

For a moment she was distracted by Effy as the brunette leaned in close to the dark haired man, lingering a few moments before whispering something in his ear. Katie's cheeks involuntarily flushed for a moment as a wave of jealously washed over her; she tried to shake the feeling off quickly and focus on the task at hand, turning her attention once again to the long haired man in front of her.

"I'll buy you a drink then." The man insisted, "Oi! Another over here!" He bellowed at the bartender before taking the stool next to her.

"Thank you." She giggled, "So you're not from here?"

The man had leaned in close after taking a large swig of his drink and rested his hand lightly on her thigh; she giggled and took a large drink for the mug that had just been handed to her.

"It must be so interesting…being on a ship…you must see so many places. What's it like?" She began carefully, her voice full of sincere sounding interest.

"Wouldn't mind taking you aboard…" He crooned, leaning in closer still.

Over his shoulder she could see Captain Stonem - her icy blue eyes locked on the two of them. Katie tossed her head defiantly, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach; she held eye contact with the captain for a few moments before planting an aggressive kiss on the inebriated man in front of her.

Before she knew what was happening Thomas had the scraggly blonde man by the arms; instinctively Cook lashed out, swinging his free arm at the man who had hold of him, catching Katie in the side of the head in the process. Effy seemed to magically appear behind her first mate, who had taken a few punches but still managed to pin both of the man's arms behind his back. The restrained man bellowed a flurry of curses and threats as he continued to lash out in any way he could. Her blue eyes glinted with excitement as she pulled the scarf from her hair and stuffed it unceremoniously into his mouth.

"Mr. Cook….good to see you again so soon." Captain Stonem stated coolly.

The scuffle had caught the attention of every patron, though none of the spectators seemed interested in intervening. The wild looking girl tossed a small sack of coins onto the bar.

"And you're in luck," she added teasingly to the still thrashing Cook, "I've generously paid you're tab…"

Mr. Thomas pulled him from the bar and out into the street towards the dock; Effy swung back around quickly, a malicious grin on her face as she stared Katie down for a moment.

"You coming blondie?" She asked.

"Effy, what the fuck?" The slightly disoriented girl sputtered. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Suit yourself." The captain sighed as she pushed her way through the pubs battered doors.

Katherine stood for a few moments; her mind reeling and her head throbbing slightly from the blow she had received in the scuffle. She was becoming acutely aware of all the eyes glued to her and she instinctively reached up to fix her hair, knocking the already askew wig more out of place. Her hands were shaking and after a few seconds she abandoned all hope of securing the wig back into place. Instead she opted to rush through the still swinging doors and down the street to the ship, loosing the hairpiece altogether in the process.

Once on board she could instantly hear the captured man from the bar causing a ruckus below deck; the door to their quarters stood ajar and she stopped just short of the light that stretched out from the room. Her heart beat wildly as she stood frozen in place; she could hear crashes coming from the room and knew the captain was inside but couldn't fathom what was happening in the small room to cause so much noise. The image of Effy's dangerously cold expression from only moments ago was burned in her mind and the redhead had no idea what to expect once she stepped into the room. The crashing sounds subsided and Katie took a deep breath before bursting through the door.

"Are you done having a tantr…" Her words trailed off as she saw the destruction in the room.

The shared quarters had never been tidy but this was something different altogether; the sheets torn from the bed, charts and books strewn across the floor, drawers emptied and scattered, and Katie found it impossible to believe that all this could have been done so quickly. Captain Stonem sat on the bed with her back to the redhead, a thin trail of smoke curling up from her cigarette, humming a tune quietly.

"What's…are…" The girl stammered uncertainly, "Are you ok?"

The brunette turned her head ever so slightly, stopping her humming as she did so. "We'll have to remake the bed."

Her voice sounded different, softer and lighter, it seemed alien coming out of the wild girl. The redhead navigated the littered floor to stand in front of the captain; the blue eyes that looked up at her seemed dull, hazed over, and she offered the cigarette to the redhead. Katie's hands shook a little as she took a long drag of tobacco before handing it back.

"Are you alright?" She asked again, crouching down and resting her hands on the other girl's knees. "What is happening?"

The haze cleared away quickly, the brunette tossed her head back and laughed hysterically for a moment.

"Well I can't stay too mad at you deary," She said offhandedly, "since you seem to have accidentally done something right."

"What are you talking about? What the hell is going on here?" She snapped, anger quickly flaring up in her brown eyes.

"You sneak into town and just happen to stumble upon all the information we will ever need." The captain mused, "Though getting it might be a bit messy…" She added as she glanced around the room. "Well, let's get to it…"

The redhead tugged at the brunette's arms when she tried to stand. "What is going on Effy?"

"Have you seen the state of this place?" Effy stated, as though seeing the room for the first time. "We have to clean up…"

With that she placed a light kiss on Katie's forehead and slid free; picking up charts from the floor and frowning at the damage some of them had taken.

"You can make the bed on your own right?" She sighed.

Effy turned and couldn't help but laugh at the look of shock and confusion on the other girl's face.

"You do know how to make a bed…" The captain questioned.

"Yes…but…" Katie said sharply, unsure of what to do.

"Then get to it…all hands on deck and all that." The brunette giggled as she continued sorting through the chaos.

The redhead shook her head as she began to collect the sheets and blankets to make the bed; she couldn't help but notice that despite all the damage done in the room her Emily doll sat completely untouched, almost protected it seemed, on the chase lounge.

"I don't even know which of us is more insane anymore…" the redhead mumbled to herself as she began making the bed.

*I don't own Skins or Skins Characters* As always leave me a review if you are enjoying it or if you have any criticisms that's fine too!