They came back aboard, laughing. Admiral Nelson watched them, a bit exasperated because they were late, but he couldn't be angry, because the laughter had eased the tension on deck instantly, and the men looked on with an air of fond indulgence, much like he himself felt.

Nelson's Nursery, the naysayers called his boat. At first, the insulting nickname had angered him. A nursery he didn't run, and never would; but after awhile, he began to realize that it was just sour grapes. He had some of the youngest officers in the fleet, yes, but they were also among the best. He had had his captain handed to him on a silver platter, but he had had to purloin his XO from Captain Jackie Waters, and that had been no mean feat. Together the two of them were the youngest command team in the whole of the Navy, and the most sought after. Every time they were mentioned, Jiggs Starke about had apoplexy and went into his never-changing tirade about how Nelson had stolen the two best men in the fleet.

Stolen was not in Nelson's vocabulary, however. He had gotten his men fair and square, and he wasn't letting either of them go anytime soon. And he had floated his own nickname, to contend with Nelson's Nursery.

Madness and Method… If either Lee or Chip ever found out that the despised moniker had come from Nelson himself, the floodgates of wrath would open, but the resulting fallout would be worth it. Madness perfectly described Lee's style, always thinking outside the box, as thoroughly unpredictable as anyone could be. As for Method, you could set your watch by him, and if he was methodical, his moral compass, cool courage, and mathematical intelligence made him absolutely invaluable. Sometimes, Nelson felt a bit disloyal to John's memory when he looked with satisfaction on the team he had built since John's death, but in all honesty, by making this boat top of the line, he was honoring his best friend's life and his sacrifice.

None of which changed the fact that his command team was late coming back aboard, and deserved a dressing-down. He had expected Chip to keep Lee to the schedule. He should have known that no one could keep Lee to any schedule he didn't want to follow. He cleared his throat and said sternly, "Glad you could make it, gentlemen."

Lee smiled that disarming smile, showing no sign of the slight discomfort Chip was no doubt hiding behind that expressionless façade. Lee took every set-back with a shrug and a disarming smile; Chip, the classic dictionary definition of a perfectionist, hated to be found anything less than perfect. Lee shot that quick look up from under his lashes at Nelson and flashed perfect teeth in a charming smile. "My fault, sir. There was this little night club on the Grand Canal…"

Nelson cut him off, not wanting to hear. He knew that night club; he'd been there himself. God help the women who sat there letting every man in the bar buy them drinks and the wealthiest man take them home, when this pair had walked in… Lee would have charmed every one of them, while Chip would have sat there, looking them over with methodical disinterest, never noticing the flirtatious glances cast his way… Unless Viviana had been there; Viviana was someone special, and Nelson had no doubt she could even make the XO's imperturbable mask slip a bit. "I get the picture, captain. You do know that you are at least an hour late?"

"That's my fault, sir." Chip hastened to take the blame. "My watch stopped, and…" He glanced at Lee, and that shy and mischievous grin lit up his face. Nelson watched with interest; this must be some story.

"I lost mine somewhere." Lee lifted his bare wrist with a laugh. "Anyway, we're here now, sir. Everyone else back aboard?"

"You two are the last." Nelson kept the sternness in his voice, but there was no real heat behind it. He had been anxious this past hour, wondering what could have happened, but here they were, relaxed and content, no harm done. Even the COB – a worrier if there ever was one – had settled down and had his men pulling the gangplanks up and tidying the deck. They would be ready to sail in an hour or so. "Come aboard, gentlemen. Let's not keep Seaview waiting."

Both officers effortlessly leaped the space between the dock and the boat, and followed the admiral through the hatch.

All three noticed the change in atmosphere instantly, though none of them said anything. Nelson kept his misgivings to himself; no need to ask if they were shared. He saw the look that passed between his skipper and XO. Both men were suddenly on edge; no more lighthearted laughter. The boat didn't feel right. Seaview's moods were mercurial, but never had she felt so heavy with danger as she did right now, when no obvious danger threatened.

Wary suspicion clouded the atmosphere, setting anxiety humming through every nerve. The admiral didn't even have to look at Lee or Chip to feel their own heightened tension. It was a tangible thing, drawing them together, as if they could read each other's thoughts. He knew before the XO spoke that he would have some sort of suggestion for discovering why Seaview suddenly felt like a danger zone. "We'd better have some security drills, sir," Chip suggested, his voice light, as if allowing the darkness to creep in would somehow let whatever might be listening in the shadows know that they were concerned. But his eyes had turned to ice, as cold as Nelson had ever seen them. "Just to keep the men in shape."

Lee nodded. His own nature was fiercer than Chip's. His hazel eyes blazed, not with anger but with suspicion. He carefully kept from turning toward a shadowed doorway up ahead, but Nelson knew he was scanning the immediate area for any threat. He was nothing if not well-trained. "Good idea," he agreed casually. "And maybe a stowaway drill to help them get back into practice."

"Aye, sir, I'll add that to the schedule, too." Chip peeled away, heading for the boat's office, where his yeoman, Dolores Brown was installed in solitary splendor. Together, they would plan the week's schedule, but Nelson would be willing to bet that the stowaway drill would take place immediately after they sailed, with the security drills to follow, all in the first few days at sea. If there were a reason for Seaview's forbidding atmosphere, they would know what it was within days, if not within hours…

Not that anyone could have sneaked aboard to stow away. The COB's security schedule was tight. Anything that so much as squeaked in Seaview's direction was detained, questioned, and escorted away before it knew what had happened. And speaking of the COB, Nelson could hear him coming, his shoes slapping against the floor at a faster pace than he generally used. Lee had heard it, too, and turned to face Sharkey as he approached them.

"Something's not right," the COB said right away, wiping the harbor spray from his face with a handkerchief. "Skipper, there's no way anyone could have gotten on board, but…" He trailed off and shook his head, and his eyes showed his apprehension. "Something's not right," he repeated helplessly and splayed his fingers, not noticing when the handkerchief fluttered to the deck.

Lee took pity on him, and laid a hand on his shoulder in sympathy. "We're on it, COB. Plan for a stowaway drill in a few hours. And several security drills over the next few days." He glanced at Nelson, his hazel eyes wary, and lowered his voice to encompass just the three of them. "If there's someone aboard who shouldn't be, we'll find them."

"There's no way anyone could have gotten on board," Sharkey insisted, lowering his voice at the captain's cue. "We had the boat sewed up tight, sir, I promise you. I don't know what's wrong, but I don't see how it could be a stowaway…" He blew air out between his teeth in a hiss. "I'll have the men do a complete overhaul of all systems, and inventory everything. Maybe something's gone wrong with the atmospheric controls or the air revitalization…" He trailed off and shook his head. Clearly the dark, foreboding atmosphere had him rattled. Seaview no longer felt like their beloved lady; she felt like an enemy, and it had them all feeling insecure.

"Good thinking, COB. No sense taking any chances." Nelson glanced between them. "Lee. When we're safely underway, report to my cabin. We'll work out a plan to deal with this."

Lee's eyes turned brooding; he opened his mouth to speak, but Nelson forestalled him with an upraised hand. "Yes, I want Chip, too." He forced a smile he was far from feeling, as disquiet slithered up his spine. "I won't leave him out when we so clearly need him in the loop." There had been a time when he hadn't been so accommodating. He acknowledged that frequently he left Chip in the dark, forcing him to work beyond his potential; it always amazed him how successful the XO could be when he didn't have any clue what was going on. But he had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't treat the man so badly anymore; Pem had taught him a terrible lesson, and he had learned it well. He wouldn't take any of his people for granted anymore; certainly not the ones he most valued…

Concentrate on the problem at hand, Harry… John's voice, taking him to task. John was always in his head, steering him in the right direction – when he felt inclined to go. "Go get the boat underway, lad. When you're done, you and Chip report to me, and we'll talk this over."

"Aye, sir." Lee went away, towing an anxious Sharkey behind him. Nelson looked around the gloomy corridor, wondering what had happened in the last few hours to make Seaview feel so uninviting, so intimidating, so… wrong.

With luck, they'd find out before any sacrifices had to be made…