A quiet two weeks had trickled by with literally nothing to do, not to mention hardly any wind, in fact the most breeze they got was when two members of the crew passed one another in the passageways. So it really wasn't any surprise that everybody scrambled to go ashore when they came across a small island, which reminded Willa of the one she'd discovered her natural talent for fishing on though rather a lot larger.

Roach had adored Willa after the crab and fish she'd brought him since he'd been able to let his cooking skill really shine. In fact Roach had gone so far as to provide Willa cooking lessons on occasion as well as providing her, what he called, 'tricks of the trade at sea' which to Willa appeared more like substitutes and short cuts. Knives were another thing the dark-skinned man had taught her about, Roach truly was passionate about a blade.

That was how the Prussian had ended up stood waiting for Stede to get his shit together so they could actually depart. She'd looked around for Izzy a few moments but he'd vanished, most likely to speak with his beloved Blackbeard, so Willa had found herself engaging in small talk with Jim and Olu. As per usual Jim said very little, offered a word or a grunt of agreement here and there, but actually said next to nothing. Didn't matter, Olu could speak enough for the pair of them.

"Think we could find some ginger?" Willa pondered aloud. "If there are locals we could trade for some."

Oluwande lifted a questioning eyebrow. "Ginger? Guess we could take a look for it but I wouldn't go setting your heart on finding any. I think it's more of an Asian thing, isn't it?"

Jim shrugged in that way they had, the one which could have been trademarked. "Think so, yeah."

The bald man known as Black Pete cut into the conversation then, the trio hadn't even known he was there let alone listening.

"Why do you want ginger of all things?"

"Em, no specific reason." She told him a little too quickly which had Olu grinning in an instant.

"Oh there's totally a reason." He shifted a little closer while Jim remained not even remotely interested. "You gotta tell us."

For a moment the sixteen-year-old felt a little backed into a corner but their blond captain came to rescue her with Blackbeard and Izzy as his back up; a rescue neither of them realized had been needed.

Much to Willa's annoyance the first mate insisted on remaining aboard the Revenge so she'd apparently not be getting a pistol lessen on this island either.

From childhood's hour she'd had politeness drilled into her and, while she didn't put much faith in it nowadays, it was still a part of her thanks to her mother, Vilja. That politeness and the fact pirates didn't seem to understand the concept of lady's first was how Willa ended up being last down the ladder to the boat. Meanwhile the guys all looked up at her mostly to make certain she didn't slip and fall.

"I know she's young and all but damn does she have a fine ass."

In an instant Lucius slapped Frenchie so hard on the arm that he flinched and made to rub at it while Willa finally set foot on the boat. When she spun around and spotted them all watching her she automatically shuffled a little closer to Blackbeard seeking out safety.

"Something wrong?" Willa enquired.

"Not in the slightest." Lucius shook his head. "Come sit by me, I've got new sketches to show you."

The scribe took great pride in showing her his artwork since she actually provided constructive criticism rather than Black Pete's 'it's nice, sweety' or most people's 'that's disgusting'. Willa didn't take much convincing to plant herself beside him before the others started to row.

Everyone was eager to resupply since Roach's food options had started to dwindle, but they were hardly ten feet from the Revenge's hull when Frenchie suddenly recoiled with a cry from the side of the boat which caused it to rock violently.

"What is it, Frenchie?" Asked Stede with genuine concern for the man.

"I saw something! It was big!" He responded as if expecting a lion to leap from the water at them.

While Frenchie was clearly concerned Blackbeard's expression was one more akin to irritation as the boat continued to jostle dangerously.

"Yeah, mate, don't freak out, you're rocking the boat too much."

Unfortunately Frenchie didn't seem to notice the older man's concerns and continued to wobble the little vessel; Olu had given up on rowing.

"I fucking saw something! I think it's a mermaid!" Willa snorted in a very unladylike manner at Frenchie's announcement. True she liked her stories but she'd never been one to believe in fanciful tales. "They're real. Real evil. Worse than cats."

He stuck his head over the side again then to try to spot the savage supernatural creature only to jolt away once more with yet another exaggerated yelp. Lucius, who'd had enough overly dramatic sequels for one morning, tried to yank Frenchie to sit but that just made things much worse. With another forceful jolt the boat tipped too far and Willa tumbled into the salty sea with a scream. Many hands launched outward to snatch her back but she was already out of reach. The teenager thrashed about desperately, face panicked and heart racing. She'd not die in the sea after everything.

"She can't swim!" Blackbeard shouted as Willa vanished underneath the surface.

Boots were hauled from the bearded captain's feet while he prepared to dive in after her, but that was when a splash sounded from the main ship. Blackbeard snapped his brown orbs over to see a circle of ripples where somebody had jumped in, and then Izzy appeared swimming frantically toward where Willa had sunk. The first mate gulped down air then dove down after her while the rest of the crew both in the dinghy and aboard the Revenge had little choice but to watch on.

Moments passed in an awkward silence, concern evident on all their faces. A bubble here and there but neither appeared. Frenchie practically curled in on himself, he'd never meant for this to happen, never. Willa had become his friend, the entire crew liked her, none of them wanted her harmed in the slightest.

"Why aren't they coming up? Ed, why aren't they coming up?" Asked Stede, voice full of growing panic.

Then, thankfully, Izzy Hands broke the surface with Willa held tightly against his chest. The pair gasped for air and he swam to the boat and hauled her aboard with the aid of both captains. As soon as Willa had been pulled to safety Izzy lifted himself out of the water, heavy drops poured from his black clothes but he paid it no mind.

"The fuck were you playing at, you twat?!" Snarled the man with salt and pepper hair. "She could have fucking died!"

Izzy hunched over Willa while rage burned inside his eyes and pulled her soaked braid out of her face.

Black Pete piped up rather unhelpfully. "He says he saw something."

"I did." Frenchie insisted but Izzy wasn't having it; they'd almost killed his sweet Willa.

Wait, no, she's not mine. I don't own her. The horizon, he needed to look at the horizon to calm down, needed fucking something to calm the ire inside his blood.

"Shut the fuck up and get rowing back to the ship."

With Olu speed rowing it took less than a full minute to return to the ship, truthfully the hardest part had been helping Willa back up to the main deck. The poor girl was absolutely soaked through and her breathing remained a little too fast; had she been under any longer she'd have lost consciousness.

As soon as they had her over the gunwales Izzy basically insisted she sit on the floor by one of the cannons while he took a knee beside her. Green eyes sparkled up at him with a gentle smile and suddenly the need to watch the horizon faded.

"Déjà vu, we've done this before."

"Stop nearly drowning and we won't have to do it again, little lass."

"Are you all right, Willa?" Stede fretted in that mother-hen way of his, eyes full of concern as they would with nay member of his crew.

The teenager nodded but it was fairly obvious the water had left her a little out of it. Poor girl hadn't been too far from Death's clutches. Stede hated to think it, but maybe she'd seen Death's ghastly charcoal robes float toward her.

"Maybe this is a sign we shouldn't make landfall." The Swede muttered. "Maybe the people there aren't friendly, or perhaps they are in league with the mermaids."

Edward sighed. "Pretty sure there aren't any mermaids, mate."

The blond captain only took his eyes from Willa long enough to point out the obvious. "We do need a few things." Izzy had gathered Willa into his arms by the time Stede peered back. "Are you sure you'll be okay here, my dear?"

"Think we've established she's safer with me than you." Snapped Izzy.

"It wasn't his fault." Said Willa as she rested a hand atop Izzy's gloved one. "I'm not hurt."

Frenchie's guilty expression only grew as his arms wrapped around himself. "I'm real sorry, Willa."

First Mate Hands snarled. "You'd better be."

That comment just earned the Prussian to squeeze his hand. The gentle touch was one of the few ways Willa had found to calm Izzy's spontaneous rage; a superpower.

Suddenly Roach was by Willa's side as well with a scrap of surprisingly clean cloth that he used to mop up some of the salty water on her face. "There you go, darlin', that's better."

"Iz, take her below and let her rest a while. Dry yourself off too."

Never one to disobey his adored captain, Izzy nodded. "Aye, Captain."

With ease he threw Willa's right arm around the back of his neck then lifted her into his arms bridal style, he couldn't have cared less about Roach's disgruntled he managed to grab his baldric and waistcoat, which he'd stripped off to dive in.

Blackbeard cast her a reassuring smile. "Back in a bit, baby girl."

Then Izzy carried her away below deck to the cabin they shared. She'd expected him to place her down on the bed but that wasn't what happened, instead Izzy knelt beside the bedso Willa sort of sat on his thigh. Using his teeth Izzy yanked off his glove and spat it down on the floor, then started to loosen the laces of her sodden stays until he could remove it. Once the fabric fell to the ground he awkwardly shifted her so he could drag her pants down slightly, just below her buttocks.

He sat the teen down on their bed. "Up."

A single word but Willa took the hint and raised her hips just enough so he could tug the pants all the way down and off with her boots. Without the wet clothing Willa felt significantly lighter, a death weight lifted from her very soul.

Wordlessly Izzy lay his girl back and covered her over with the blanket, a caring action few would think him capable of.

"Danke, sehr aufmerksam." (Thank you, very kind.) Polished emeralds gleamed up at him. "You saved me, puppy. You're my hero."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He brushed her off assuming Willa was teasing her, but when she grabbed his now un-gloved hand he realized there wasn't any humor in her words at all.

"Israel, I mean it." Willa told him with conviction.

She'd never called him by his real given name before but at least it wasn't master. To be honest no one ever referred to him that way, he'd always just been Izzy to everyone or First Mate Hands. However, it was Blackbeard who called him 'Iz', a special name only his perfect captain got to use. When Willa had taught him to write his own name he had enjoyed the way her accent pronounced Israel, gave it a Germanic lilt his name hadn't ever had before.

He noticed she was looking at him again with those lovely emeralds of hers. Maybe she'd been a cat in a past life, Izzy could picture a black cat watching him from the shadows with those eyes.

"You're em – you're welcome."

Finally Willa released his hand and Izzy took the opportunity to cast off his soaked shirt while the teenager watched on. She spotted a scar on his lower back that somewhat shocked her because Wilhelmina hadn't ever noticed it before.

"How did you get that?"

For the smallest of moments Izzy appeared puzzled but when he reached for the spot she gestured to and felt the jagged mark it all came back to him.

"Spaniard." He told her offhandedly. "We were raiding a ship years ago, back when we were with Hornigold. Some fucker crept up behind me." Izzy offered her the hint of a smirk. "Don't worry, I got the bastard in the neck."

Out from its usual place came Izzy's spare shirt, it was slipped onto his surprisingly strong torso and tucked in to his leather pants. As soon as he buttoned up his waistcoat Izzy returned to his normal self in all his unapproachable glory.

Impossibly green eyes watched as he picked up her clothes and hung them over the chair in the hopes they'd eventually dry out. Even Israel Hands wasn't enough of an asshole to hang a lady's things out in the sun surrounded by pirates; not when they were Wilhelmina's only set of clothes and he'd just put his spare shirt on.

Izzy cast her a glance for his own peace of mind before he made his way all of three steps to the door.

"I'll come check on you in a bit."

"You could stay." The Prussian teenager offered him a smile.

"I need my boots, left them on deck." Automatically Willa's eyes slipped down to his bare feet. "Also, the idiots who didn't go ashore can't be trusted to be unattended."

Then First Mate Hands did something neither Willa nor he had ever expected from him. Izzy returned to the bedside, leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Willa's forehead after he'd brushed a few damp locks from her face. The pair looked at one another a moment, they'd had sex, cuddled and done all manner of things together but this somehow felt much more intimate than anything that had come previous. The look she gave him clearly flustered him though because he swallowed audibly then slipped out of the cabin without a word as if he were scared to give her his back.

It was unknown if taking a nap would be a good idea or not but Willa obviously wasn't going anywhere for the next couple of hours at least, Izzy wouldn't allow it. With little other choice she settled into the surprisingly comfortable bed and let the memory of Izzy carrying her like a princess wash over her. The entire crew had shown concern for Willa and her sweet puppy had saved her life … again. His facial hair had tickled her forehead when he'd kissed it but that tickle had become endearing to her, a comfort. Maybe Izzy did care about her after all, and perhaps that was all Willa could ask for. The girl wasn't blind, she knew if it came down to her or Blackbeard then Izzy would throw her overboard to choose Blackbeard instantly. Willa sighed, and that was Izzy's problem, Blackbeard wasn't real, just a myth like the mermaids Frenchie feared. Stede had slowly started helping Ed to acknowledge Blackbeard and move on without even realizing it. Izzy though, he'd only ever known Blackbeard, to him Edward was the evil invader. Another sigh escaped her. Izzy had saved her from being swallowed up by the sea twice now, surely Willa could finds some way to pull her lover to the surface. Not that she could swim of course.

~X~

With her clothes having dried, Willa had decided to dress herself, yet Izzy hadn't just loosened the lacing, he'd undone the whole thing. She understood why he had but it had left her unable to tighten her stays up. She'd been fiddling with it for roughly five minutes when a knock sounded at the door. It couldn't have been Izzy, he'd have just walked on in. The visitor couldn't have been Stede either since his knock was rather distinctive, and it sure as hell wasn't Blackbeard's knock which usually came in a resonating triplet. At a loss, because literally nobody else ever knocked on the door, she cautiously called out for whoever it was to enter.

Much to Willa's surprise it was Fang who stepped inside her quarters only to instantly avert his gaze from Willa who peered at him over her shoulder.

"Oh, my bad, sorry."

"Nein." She shook her head. "Fang, you're perfect. Could you help me lace this up? Bitte?" (Please)

The bearded man furrowed his brow with confusion and seemed a touch concerned. "Huh?"

"I can't get this tight enough, I think it's caught or tangled. Help?"

"Em, okay." Fang relented and left his place at the open door to assist.

Large hands found the white laces, which had been a bit caught on one another, the yanked which forced Willa to straighten.

"Tighter."

Ivan appeared in the threshold then and his head fell to the side questioningly while he watched his friend pull on the laces.

"Er, what is happening here?"

"Fang is lacing me up." Willa said by way of explanation.

"Okay." Ivan managed to elongate the word.

"Little tighter – ah, that's it. Tie it for me, would you?"

The pirate with the long white beard did so and sure enough her laces were bound with a nautical knot just like when Izzy had done it.

She rolled her shoulders to find her back support had certainly been returned. "Perfect, Fang, danke."

"Sure thing." Fang nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh, Izzy sent me to check on you. You okay?"

"I'm fine." She used her stolen comb to brush her hair through before she braided it over her shoulder as usual. "I've dried off and now I'm dressed so I'll come back up on deck. Captains and the others back yet?"

"Nah." Said Ivan with a shake of his head. "They haven't actually been gone all that long. Couple o' hours at most."

With a nod Willa rocked up onto her tiptoes to kiss Fang's cheek as she had a few times before; the act got a blushed smile from him.

"I appreciate your help." Then the teenager they'd all come to call friend looped her arm with Ivan's so they could move along the passageways toward the main deck. Fang followed behind them still with that blushed smile. "Is Izzy terribly grumpy? He did go back up on deck with wet pants."

The boys chuckled as they rounded a corner.

"He's just usual levels of grumpy." Ivan smirked. "Personally I think he's worried about you. He cares about you … which is weirding me out."

"Didn't know he could care about anyone who wasn't Blackbeard." Muttered Fang.

"Same, that's why it's weirding me out."

Willa muttered mostly to herself. "None of you like Izzy, do you."

"It's not that we don't like him exactly." Ivan began. "We haven't known him as long as the captain, but he's never been … happy? Is that the wrong word?" He asked Fang.

"Loyal if nothing else." Fang shrugged.

A touch of concern crept into Ivan's coffee-colored orbs then. "You sure you're okay in that small cabin with him? I know he cares about you but I've seen him care about Blackbeard too and I'm not exactly sure it's healthy."

Fang was quick to protest as they reached the ladder. "Willa can handle herself, she's tough."

"I try to be, Fang, I do try. As for being okay in the cabin, I'm assure you I'm fine with Izzy. He's never hurt me."

The two men's expressions grew serious all of a sudden as they shared a glance.

"He does and you just let us know." Ivan told her. "He might be first mate but we'll deal with him."

She smiled softly at the boys. In her time with the pirates she'd grown rather close to Fang and Ivan, they were surprisingly nice people with a good sense of humor. Willa had come to treasure their friendship. Although, being ready to gang up on Izzy and beat him to a pulp wasn't something she needed from them.

"My valiant protectors."

Finally the trio broke out into the daylight, the sun's warm was a welcome comfort. They quickly spotted Buttons at the helm and he noticed her as equally fast.

"Ah, the wee hen is back wi' us. Ya have a nice nap, princess? Thanks fer the scene earlier, brightened up a borin' day."

It had become something of a silent game for the pair to thicken their accents when they talked to each other. He'd toss in a spattering of quickly spoken semi-English while Willa would throw German back. A silly game but it was theirs and amused them.

"Kin Problem, nichts zu danken." (no problem, don't mention it)

Buttons just nodded having picked out the single understandable word for him and returned to his duty. Looked like she'd won this round.

After a stretch and a few moments of blissful sun she got to her normal chores since she wanted to make herself useful. She grabbed the water bucket and started to offer a drink to those who'd remained on the Revenge – which was practically nobody. Wilhelmina hadn't ever seen the ship so deserted before.

"Fang! Ivan!" She called out which made them look in her direction. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Nah, we're good." Fang answered for the pair of them.

Having received her answer Willa turned intent on returning the bucket to it's rightful place, but as soon as she did she found herself staring right at Izzy.

"Ach du Scheiße!" (Holy shit!) Willa struggled not to drop the bucket. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

He enjoyed it, she was sure just appearing from nowhere like an omnipotent spectre made him feel powerful and intimidating. Quite frankly all he was going to succeed in doing was giving Willa a heart attack.

"Did I say you could leave the cabin?"

Willa lifted a single brow. "Did you say I couldn't?"

Izzy loomed closer. "You nearly drowned earlier because a fluffy-haired dickhead thought he saw a fucking fish with tits."

"I'm fine, Izzy." She insisted. "I didn't lose consciousness, didn't start repenting since to a priest either. I'm fine." She muttered something else then but it was so faint Izzy – who pretty much occupied the same space as her own face in that moment – couldn't make it out.

"What?"

The Prussian girl sighed. "I said I don't like being in bed without you, it doesn't feel right."

Okay, Izzy didn't know what to do with that so he deferred to his normal M.O in these situations and backed out of the conversation and any feelings involved with the speed of a falling star.

"Just don't do any heavy lifting." He snapped before he put some distance between them.

Willa made a display of saluting him with a bemused grin. "Jawohl, Herr Hands." (Yes, Mister Hands)

To most their conversation had probably just seemed like normal asshole Izzy crap. Heabruptly terminated their conversation when he couldn't find anything else to be angry about, however, Willa saw the genuine concern that had swirled around inside his harsh eyes. All it did was make him all the more adorable to her. This wasn't love, not that, It wasn't likely to ever be love, but Willa would take Izzy's care if she couldn't have his love.

After a few short moments to gather her thoughts together, Willa glanced at Izzy who'd fled up to the quarterdeck then returned to her daily chores. Being in their quarters had grown stuffy so the fresh air caressed her skin and gave her lungs just what they'd needed. With a soft smile she let the sun's rays perk up her mood and banish the last of the wetness from the tips of her auburn hair. Nothing like the sun's warmth to cheer a girl up after a near-death experience.

Suddenly a shadow appeared beside her, too tall to be Izzy, so Willa wasn't overly surprised when she spotted Roach out the corner of her eye.

"You like the view, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"Hmm." She hummed while she left her thoughts.

"I see you looking at the horizon a lot." Said Roach, who may have been stood a little too close. "Thinking of somewhere else?"

Willa shrugged. "I suppose at first I was. All I wanted was to return to my brother and my books."

Roach turned to face her fully. "And now?"

A pause lingered between them a second or two before Willa's emerald orbs finally met Roach's rich dark ones.

"Now I still want to see my brother, but I'm no longer looking back home, I'm just looking. The sea is beautiful and the clouds dance across the sky. It really is very wondrous being at sea. Now I'm here on this ship I like being on the ocean."

Roach launched a finger skyward. "If you're enjoying the view you should see it from the crow's nest."

"I've never been up there." She peered upward.

"Wanna go? It's not too hard to climb."

Wilhelmina hardly paused to think. She beamed at the idea and Roach matched the twinkle of delight in her eyes.

"Let's do it, Roach."

Quickly the pair got to the rigging and started to climb, not a good idea for someone who'd nearly drowned but neither cared. Roach gave tips and words of encouragement as they moved, each step careful but determined. Turned out the Prussian teenager was actually rather nimble, it must have been a talent accidentally learned while up ladders in search of new tomes to read.

Without issue they reached the very top and Roach offered Willa a hand for the last step which earned him a cheery smile and thanks. Together they settled down comfortably in the crow's nest so close their shoulders brushed against one another.

"You didn't lie about the view." Willa smiled. "I can see everything from up here."

Roach nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah, you can see for miles. Sometimes I come sit up here to just relax. Being down in the galley all day gets boring."

"Not as though you're locked down there."

"Cooking takes time if you want it done right." The dark-skinned man insisted. "One wrong move and everyone is throwning up everywhere and – well, it isn't nice picture." He straightened up as a little energy surged within him. "Speaking of cooking, do you want to help me with tonight's meal? No hardtack for us."

She flashed him a smile. "As long as it's not another orange cake."

"Yeah," began Roach with glee, "won't be doing that again ever, even if the Captain begs. We're running low on oranges now I think about it. Probably should have mentioned that before everyone left. Ah well, you coming?"

"Sure."

Meanwhile Izzy stood below on the quarterdeck dressed in one of his usual snarls, he scanned the deck in search of where the sixteen-year-old had gotten to but his eyes never settled upon her, then he just happened to peer upward. There he spotted Willa conversing with Roach, a happy smile on her face and Izzy snarled; Roach was too fucking close! Irritation surged through his small body at the sight. Why did Wilhelmina have to be so damn nice to everyone?! Why did she hug Roach?! Willa had told the first mate that she rather liked cuddling him but that couldn't have been true, couldn't have. The girls was sweet but she'd long ago proven herself to be a manipulator, even one who'd been doing it to remain alive was still a manipulator. And why would someone want to fucking cuddle me? Izzy shook his head violently to free himself of feelings he didn't quite have words for and certainly didn't wish to acknowledge. As soon as Willa got an opportunity she'd return to Prussia, she'd be gone and he'd never see her again, none of them would. Izzy didn't care though, of course he didn't. He was Israel Hands, Basilica Hands, the doggedly loyal first mate in service to the infamous Blackbeard. No, it was no bother to him. Didn't matter to him if some teenage girl fucked off back home. Honestly didn't give a shit; at least he'd get his bed to himself again. Regardless of what he tried to tell himself, Izzy's eye still twitched with anger and it only grew worse when the loud sound of Ivan and Fang joking with one another reached him.

"Alright you useless fucks, try doing some fucking work. That little seductress proved himself shit at doing as he's told so you two pricks are scraping the hull." Almost comically the taller pirates deflated. Cleaning down the hull wasn't a fun task for anybody. From Izzy's standpoint though, he'd given an order and they'd damn well obey it. "Don't fucking sulk, just get on with it or I'll chuck you in the bilge water!"

Having known Izzy Hands for a great many years, Fang and Ivan elected not to complain and just get on with it; safer that way.

Eventually Roach and the girl who warmed the first mate's bed clambered down the rigging and made a beeline for the galley. Roach spotted the intense glare Izzy flung at him, one so sharp it almost cut like a knife, so he hurried himself lest he find he'd become supper for a shark.

Once below they quickly started preparations for dinner. Willa hadn't realized just how much effort it took to feed an entire hungry crew of pirates even just a basic meal until she'd started occasionally assisting Roach. Then again, she may have spent time with the maids sewing at home, something that had always caused them to fluster, but they'd never have allowed her to cook with them. A noble of her standing cooking alongside kitchen staff wouldn't have been acceptable.

The Prussian and her messy-haired friend had been peeling and joking a while by the pass when Willa finally realized just how close Roach had gotten, it caused her to peer up to her left at him.

Willa blinked. "Everything okay?"

"You have real pretty eyes." He told her out of nowhere.

Roach had called her pretty before, a few times actually, but this was different because something lingered in his eyes.

"That's kind of you to say."

Fortunately for the von Krieger children they'd inherited their mother's green eyes rather than their father's dull gray ones.

"Nice accent too. It's all exotic."

She breathed out the tiniest of laughs. "I don't hear it. It's so normal to me that I don't even notice-"

Suddenly Willa was cut off by Roach kissing her. It was sort of a chaste kiss, more of a peck really but it had her rooted to the spot in shock. Willa just stood there after that, frankly she wasn't sure if her lungs still inhaled. Mouth agape, she wasn't entirely sure what to say or how to react but she must have done something wrong because Roach's expression turned to one of horror.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You have enough problems with Izzy."

That jolted Wilhelmina out of whatever odd universe of statues she'd been in as a confused expression pulled itself onto her face.

"Problems?" She queried quietly which only caused Roach to stare at her like she were dense and had totally missed the obvious.

"He keeps you in his cabin and tells you what to do." Roach explained as his brow furrowed. "And he's always watching you."

"He is?" Willa's head cocked to one side.

"Yeah." The dark-skinned man nodded. "If he sees anyone go near you he looks like a bull getting ready to charge. I – I shouldn't have kissed you, not when you have to put up with that asshole."

Yet again Willa didn't quite know what to say or how to react. Slowly, with a delicate touch, she rested her hand atop Roach's forearm and offered him a sweet smile.

"Roach, it's really sweet that you are concerned about me, I appreciate your care, but I chose to stay with Izzy. I know he doesn't have a particularly happy face. He doesn't really have a natural effervescence either, but he isn't forcing me to do anything. I'm okay, really." Willa swallowed nervously. "And, I don't mean to hurt you but … you're my friend. I – I don't … think of you as something else. I'm sorry, Roach."

He pulled away from her touch then and put a little distance between them. He was clearly upset though not angry; not that he was that kind of person.

"I'm truly sorry." Said Willa again because she was, the last thing she'd wanted was to destroy the friendship she'd built with him.

"No, no, I get it." He rushed through his words so quickly he nearly stumbled over them.

"Do – do you want me to go?"

Roach shook his head. "Nah, I'm a grown up. You don't like me like that, I can move on, we can still cook."

Somehow they managed to do just that. It was awkward at first filled with too much distance, a lack of conversation and uncomfortable glances, but eventually Roach managed to pop a joke and some of the unpleasantness drained away. Was it a perfect fix? No, of course it wasn't, but it was certainly better than it had been. Nothing quite got all the tension out of the air though, nothing would for a long time.

XXXX

I'm going on vacation, so this will be on hiatus until August 31st.