Another chapter - how did this happen so quickly?
I don't know, but here we are!

This chapter is obviously a bit of a nod towards James Cameron's movie, but I decided to put a little twist on it.

I am sorry if the Sussex dialect is not correct, I did it to the best of my abilities though. Also, in my headcanon one of Laura's parents is not from Bath and therefore they spoke a mixture of accents at home.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything aside from the plot.

Chapter 8: Sunset

Truthfully, she hadn't expected it, she hadn't expected anything, too lost in her thoughts as she leaned against the railing. People had retired inside by now, leaving her alone at the side of the deck. Music was lightly floating towards her from down below, but she couldn't quite make out what was being played. As soon as the tune would reach her ears, it was already being whisked away by the wind that seemed to be continuously blowing around her head, tousling her hair. Her curls would be matted beyond hope tonight, but that couldn't be helped anymore, she supposed.

Laura sighed, letting her eyes wander over the ocean for what must be the hundredths time - while it still made her uneasy, she had to admit there was a certain beauty to it, now, in the special light that only the setting sun could powder over the waves. Maybe that was when sailors fell in love with the sea, she pondered. She herself was still far away from love, but at least she could manage a sort of appreciation now. Apparently travelling truly broadened the horizon, figuratively and literally. Said literal horizon seemed endless right now, stretching all around, an edge one might fall down if one wasn't careful enough. It was terrifying and enticing at the same time, that hunt for the something one could always see but never quite grasp. Laura wondered whether her something - a happy future - would finally be in reach when she would arrive in New York.

"That's where you are!" a voice suddenly piped up, and she nearly jumped.
A shock of brown hair had appeared next to her and blue eyes seemed to scrutinize her seriously.
"Lee, my goodness, don't you scare me like that!" she told him, but had to smile at the boy.

As she turned around further, her heart lurched a little as she saw Bill and Zak come towards her as well.

"And again, I think we are disturbing you," the father apologized.
"Again, don't you worry about it," she answered truthfully.
"I thought you are not a fan of the water?" Bill asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"True, I ain't. But I was curious. And these colours are rather pretty."
"Aye." A smile was playing around his lips." But you are still missing out on the best view."
"Am I now?" She raised an eyebrow. If he were such a smart-ass, she was going to accept the challenge. Of course, she knew that he was likely right, but it still didn't mean she had to make it too easy for him.

He nooded, then held out his hand towards her, palm up. Laura could see the question in his eyes, and she understood that she wasn't the only one whose nerves were currently shaking. It surprised her a bit, after all, sailors were usually not really known for discretion or bashfulness, but she supposed Bill was a very special case with his sons and his background as a married man. She pushed the thought about his former wife aside for now though in favour for all the feelings that were currently swirling in her belly. Then Laura stepped forward and finallyl put her hand into his. This was far more deliberate than the other times where their hands had simply found each other - it was an offer of some sorts, though she wasn't quite certain yet for what. Still, it felt almost familiar, the way his fingers closed around hers. Suddenly he tugged and she followed him, both boys in tow. They didn't seem to bother about the adults anymore, far too caught up in their excitement about watching the sunset on deck.

"We need to go to the bow!" Lee explained importantly.

She supposed this meant goin to the front of the ship, since that was where they seemed to be heading. To her surprise, nobody else was in sight, apparently they had been lucky with the timing.

"So, this is supposed to be the best view?" she asked as they couldn't go any further and Bill turned around to block her path.
"Shh," he told her, "trust me on this. Now, step backwards, carefully, but don't look."

He made them change the positions, but his eyes never left hers. The blue depths held her captive, even bluer than the sea had been before. She smiled and nodded once, before she slowly backed towards the rails. All three Adams were looking at her with a mixture of amusement and excitement, then Bill picked up Zak and closed the distance between them again. Her heartbeat sped up as he came close enough to touch, but before she could do anything, Lee squeezed in, clearly trying to get between Laura and the railing.

###

As much as he loved his children, sometimes Bill would have enjoyed a little privacy. Like right now, when he had the most beautiful woman in front of him, her hair set on fire by the evening sun that was lightening her up from behind. She had been close enough to touch, to kiss, until Lee had decided to sabotage the idea by wiggling his small body in between Laura and the metal and nearly send her stumble towards him. The woman quickly turned around, focusing her attention on the boy.

"Lee, take care. I don't want you fallin' into the water!"
"But I want to see! I want up there!"

He wanted to tell Lee to come back to him, to leave Laura in peace, but before he could say anything, she had already taken charge of the situation. She turned back slightly again, just to trade a look among adults with a raised eyebrow.

"You could climb up there a little, if your dad allows it."

It was a bit of a question as well, whether he as the father agreed, and he appreciated it very much. Bill nodded, as long as an adult was there that would most likely be fine.

"Alright," Laura went on, "Lee, then put your feet up there on the second rail - only the second, lad, I can see what you are doin'! And keep your hands on the metal! But then I'll have to hold on to you, got it?"

The boy nodded, and as soon as the boy had stepped up, Laura wrapped her right arm around his waist, holding him close to her. That way, Lee wouldn't fall over, even if he was moving a bit. Bill shifted Zak onto his right hip, then he came to stand behind his son and new friend. He felt her shift slightly as she became aware of his presence, but instead of turning away, she seemed to nudge him slightly with her left shoulder.
Suddenly, her left arm shot foreward, wrapping around Lee as well, as the boy let go of the railing, spreading his arms to the side.

"I am flying!" he called out in pure delight, loud enough for Bill to hear it even over the wind.

He should have scolded him, really, but he understood the feeling so well, that sense of freedom. After all, that was likely why he had always loved being on a boat. It struck him then how much he trusted Laura, that she would keep holding on to his son and not let him go. Maybe it was stupid, but his gut feeling told him it was the right thing to do. That she would protect the boys, even though she hardly knew them. Zak on his arm seemed a little bit flabberghasted, he only looked at all the colours that were streaking the sky with the wonder so tyical for children, for once not inclined to communicate at all.
But he wanted to see what Laura was thinking, wanted to see how she was experiencing this moment, so he leaned a little bit to the side, sneaking a look at her face.
Laura was glowing, both from the light all around them but also with something that came from the inside, that could only be described as contentment. By instinct, he wrapped his free arm around Lee as well, effectively squishing them all together to one big ball and including Laura in a hug. Now that they were almost cheek to cheek he could feel her chuckle against him. He took that as a sign that she didn't quite mind this closeness.
The smell of seasalt was filling his senses, mixed with something flowery and warm that he bet must come from Laura's hair that kept being pushed into his face from time to time. They looked out over the waves in silence for a while, all in awe of the speed by which they glided across the waves, the power with which this mass of steel was dividing the waves.

###

When Lee had suddenly let go of the railing, Laura had thought she would die of a heart attack righ then and there. Now she was holding on to the child as best as she could, arms crossed in front of his little body, while still trying not crush him. The boy didn't seem to mind, perfectly happy to pretend to be a bird. She could hear him laughing, an honest, happy sound that made her heart a little bit lighter and swell with affection. Then, Bill had hugged her from behind, and while it had startled her at first, now she felt the accute need to lean back and bury into his warmth - it had nothing to do with the cool wind that was blowing all around them.

His cheek was almost touching hers, close enough to feel his smile against her.

"What do you think?" he asked her, just loud enough so she could hear him.
"It's a rather bettermost view, I'd say," she answered truthfully.

Bill gave a confused humm, and she turned a little to look at him. Her smile widened.

"It's amazing," she clarified in exaggeratedly clear pronunciation.
"Glad to know you speak English," he sassed back. Then his expression turned serious again as his eyes kept holding hers.

A shiver ran through her, similar to the one she had felt at the docks, and her lips parted slightly as she breathed out. He was stunning, the dancing evening lights softened his strong features into something that seemed like chiseled marvel, glossing over the scarring on his cheeks. She could see the smalled dusting of dark where his stubble was regrowing and she secretly wodnered what it would feel like against her own skin.
She could see that he was all but unaffected either, his look kept darting between her eyes and lips, and she had to smile gently at the sliver of uncertainty in his eyes. Right now, she wanted to kiss him so badly, she wanted to run her hands all through his dark hair, but unfortunately, neither of the two had any hand free right now. Which led her to the next little problem - she really didn't think it was wise to kiss him in front of his two sons right now, one of which had by now become rather interested in what the adults were doing. She doubted that Zak had any clue what was going on, but neither did she want to risk him blurting out something later when in company. Even though they would likely never see the other passengers again, rumours could spiral, and that wasn't her intention.

He seemed to notice Zak just as he did, since he gave her an apologetic smile before turning towards him, answering whatever question the boy was bombarding him with. Lee had in the meantime decided to hold onto the railing - to Laura's relief - but also started to slightly snuggle back. She wasn't quite sure whether he even noticed he was doing it, likely he was just starting to feel the chill, but it filled her with a surge of affection for the boy that she hadn't expected. This was a family, and she could be glad to be a part of it, at least for a little time.

###

As the light was dwindling, Bill noticed the boys shiver more and more, a sure sign that they were getting cold and tired. He sighed.

"Alright, time to go inside!" he proclaimed.
"But we want to see the stars!" Lee complained.

He sighed. He really shouldn't agree to this, but truthfully, he wanted to as well, and today would be the ideal night to do so.

"Can you have an eye on them for a moment?" he asked Laura, "I'll just get a couple of blankets."
"Sure," she nodded, "get one for me, too."
"Of course!"

He disappeared inside, grabbing a couple of plaids from a pile he had noticed earlier. No idea who they belonged to, but he would simply put them back later. It was almost dark when he came back on deck, but there were still some people walking around, either out for a smoke or just enjoying the slowly approaching stars. The boys and Laura had sat down on one of the benches in the meantime, and for a moment he envied the first class for their nice lounge chairs - that would have been quite the thing for now. He pushed the thought aside to wrap his sons in the blankets, but noticed out of the corner of his eyes how Laura was also almost absentmindedly checking that both had been tightly wrapped into the wool.

"Do you not need one?" she wanted to know.
"I'm good," he promised, "I run hot."

He didn't add that he had had much worse, that he was used to the cold. She gave him a short smile in response, but he could see her frown when he moved his arm and flinched slightly as his shoulder started to complain.

"Are you alright?"

Another question, more concern. So much care, and he had no clue what to do with it. It had been a long time since another adult person had genuinely cared, and Bill didn't know how to react.

"Yes, sure, he told her,"Zak is only getting a bit heavy, at least for one arm."

The Captain hoped it didn't sound too brash, after all, she had meant well, but thankfully she nodded in understanding. Then he watched with utter confusion as Laura suddenly made Lee shuffle to the side to squeeze in between them. Before he could really understand what was happening, her hands were on his shoulders, slowly stroking over the muscles. He tensed up at the sudden contact.

"Alright?"
"Alright," he confirmed, though he wasn't quite sure whether it was.

It felt amazing, but was that something that was done? He wouldn't know, Carolanne had never, at least. Laura didn't seem to care though, she kept stroking over his shoulders and back in a soothing rhythm, working on knots there he didn't even know he had had.

"Tell us about the stars," she said, her voice low but still audible.

Bill slightly tilted up his head, noticing how bright they had become. And then he did. He told them about their names, their positions, their use in navigation. Of course it wasn't the first time he had had this conversation with the boys, so they kept interferring, eager to show off their knowledge to Laura. She just chuckled, scolding them lightly from time to time to 'please let him finish'. Still, they both indulged the children, happy to bask in their excitement that slowly ebbed away like the tides, replaces by a slow languid tiredness. He had felt Laura's hand move from his shoulder to his back while he pointed out the constellations and just rest there, as if she had forgotten it was there.

"I think I should get these guys into bed," he pointed out, motioning at his sons.

Lee had curled together next to Laura, already mostly asleep, even though he valiently tried to look alert. Zak was out cold alltogether, his little head seemed even smaller sticking out of the huge blanket.

"Probably a good plan," she agreed.

When he got up and took the sleeping younger child in his arms, she lightly nudged Lee.

"Come on," he heard her whisper, "we need to move a little, but then you can sleep."

He was touched once again by her kindness, the way she was herding the barely awake boy through the belly of the ship down to their cabin. As they stopped in front of their doors, she smiled.

"Sleep well, all of you."
"You too, Laura. I hope we will see you tomorrow."

###

Laura had just started to untangle her curls as there was a knock on her cabin door. She frowned. At that time? What could it be? With a few steps, she was at the door and carefully opened it, relieved when she found it was Bill.

"Hello again, is everything alright?"

She was a little concerned, but at least he didn't seem too stressed. No, but there was certainly something odd about his stance. He seemed ... nervous. And yet.

"Yes, everything is fine," he confirmed, "but, I forgot something."
"Oh, on deck? Do you need help searching?" she asked.

He shook his head.
"Not that kind of forgetting."
His voice was rough, it made her think of woodsmoke and the Scottish whiskey her father had indulged in from time to time. Bill stepped a little bit closer, until she had almost to tilt up her neck to meet his eyes. As he took her in his blue eyes were shining and Laura blushed faintly at the sheer intensity. After everything that had transpired between the two of them so far, she had a fairly good idea where this could potentially go - and if that was how he wanted to play it, she would certainly not complain. She listened for a moment. Thankfully, the hallway seemed deserted at this time, everything was quiet aside from the sound of their breaths. Laura finally looped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer. He must not have expected it since they were suddenly stumbling backwards until her back hit the doorframe and his hand came to rest somewhere over her head for balance. Any residual breath left her lungs in one big exhale.

"So, what did you forget?" she finally asked.
"That," he only answered, before leaning forward and finally, finally kissing her on the lips.

It wasn't brutal, but neither was it chaste - a proper kiss that made her head swim and knees wobbly. His hand came to cradle her cheek and tilt her head further and she followed him willingly. Now she could finally run a hand through his hair the way she had wanted to for all of the evening. It felt exactly as she had imagined it, thick and luscious and still surprisingly soft. His stubble felt slightly rough under her fingertips, she found, but before she could explore it further, he pulled away slightly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, hating how insecure she sounded.
He all but laughed with slight disbelief.
"Laura, this-." He stopped. His look was serious, but there was still a certain softness in his eyes, too. "I really should go now, before -."
Again, he didn't finish, but this time he didn't have to either. Bill was blushing, was all things, and instead of making ´her feel awkward, his rather clear declaration made her feel safer. She laughed.
"You scoundrel! IBut in this case, I shall see you´tomorrow then!"
Still, she had to kiss him once again, after all, these opportunities should not be wasted. Laura could feel him smile against her lips, and he was still smiling when she finally closed the door between the two of them.

Well, I actually wanted them to have a little peck after a walk - and now they are suddenly full-on making out in front of her door. How did this happen - I don't know. I am not mad though.