It was getting close to Ana's birthday, and Will was restless. The fleet wouldn't be leaving its anchorage anytime soon, not even the Germans were mad enough to brave a winter on the North Sea. Will could understand wanting the battlecruisers at the ready in case of anything and to act as a deterrence for any German activity, but surely he could be allowed a few days away. Beatty wouldn't be pleased, not while he was still considering Will's proposal for actual gun training, but there was no way to avoid it.

Will dressed himself in a fresh uniform, sent a message requesting a meeting with the Admiral, and presented himself at the appointed time. Beatty had his proposal out on his desk when he walked in, a brow raised. "I'm still debating it, if that's what you're wondering."

"Partially, sir." Will said as he saluted. "But I have another request."

"Don't tell me you're wanting leave like every other man in the fleet."

Will pressed his lips together, "I am sir, I should like to visit my wife in Southampton for her birthday."

Beatty leaned back at that, gesturing for Will to sit. "You do know you could just send her a gift and a letter. I'm sure she'd be quite content."

"Ana would be kind enough to say she was," Will chuckled, "But she'd be happier to have me home."

"You're asking a lot." Beatty grumbled, laying the proposal down. "You saw her a month ago, she's likely not even thinking about you."

"I am sure that she is, sir." Will thought briefly of the sweetheart pendant that Ana never took off, the small silver wheel that rested between her breasts.

His superior snorted, "You need to find yourself a local girl then, we can't have you running off every few months."

"I don't want a local girl." Will almost spat; the thought repugnant. A woman aside from his wife in his bed, asking him for presents and complaining about his service, it disgusted him. Ana was all he needed, patient with his duties, kind and far more beautiful than any girl that Beatty would shove at him.

The admiral chuckled, "That's because you haven't seen them when they've got their eyes set on you." A glimmer appeared in his eyes that made Will want to shiver. "Tell you what, some of us are going out tonight. Drinks, cigars, girls, everything that's needed for a fun night."

Will shifted, "I'm not sure sir, I don't really indulge that much."

"Come with us," Beatty leaned forward, "I'll make it worth your while."

Will hesitated, unsure but tempted. "How?"

"I'll make a bet with you." Beatty dangled the proposal with one hand and a plain sheet of paper with the other. "If you can resist all temptations tonight like the pillar of moral character you seem to be, I'll approve your proposal and send you down to your wife for her birthday."

"What temptations, sir? I should like to know what I will need to resist."

"No drinking, no smoking and no touching the girls."

Will blinked, that would be easy. He hardly smoked anymore, he hadn't even thought of his pipe in weeks. He'd never been one to enjoy getting drunk at all hours of the day, so he could resist the fine scotch that they would no doubt have. And girls? He'd barely even look at them. "I believe I will win that bet, sir."

"We'll see, I won't let it be too easy." Beatty chuckled, writing down the details for Will. "Be here for dinner, and don't be late." Will nodded, folding the paper and slipping it into a pocket.

He called Nettles to his office when he returned to the Unicorn, showing him the paper. "Do you know this place?"

Nettles smirked, "Missing the wife, sir?"

"Nettles."

"It's well known for certain," That smirk grew wider, "Entertainment." The smirk fell after Will cursed and threw the paper to his desk. "Sir, I was only joking earlier. Everyone on board knows you prefer your wife to anyone else."

Will ran a hand through his hair, "My thanks for that, but it just means I'll have to be vigilant tonight."

"You're going?"

"Beatty said he'll approve us to go train if I can resist indulging," Will sighed, sitting and gesturing for Nettles to join him. "He also said he'd let me go see Ana."

"Then you had better be on your best behavior." Nettles leaned his chair back, smirking. "Of course, none of us have that problem when we go out. You have to have an invite to get in there."

"Believe me, I would gladly give it up if I could."

"Half the men below decks would kill for a chance."

"They're welcome to it," Will glanced down to the invitation. "The last place I want to be tonight is in The Bonnie Puss."

Nettles snorted, then doubled over in laughter. "Christ, you think they would be a bit more subtle with the name."

"I don't think subtle is something that's desired in a place like this." Will grumbled, dismissing Nettles with a wave. He kept his fresh uniform on, had a boat take him to shore, and arrived outside the place promptly. It was a large building, two stories and had a sign with a well fed cat over the door. When Will rapped on the door, a viewing slit opened and a pair of eyes glared at him. "I'm expected, by Admiral Beatty."

The slit closed quickly, and the lock was thrown. A burly man opened the door, then jerked his chin in the direction of the large bar that took up the majority of the first floor. Will could see Beatty and a few others clustered around a large table, a few women sat with them. Given that what they were wearing could only charitably be described as undergarments, he quickly averted his eyes. Beatty must have noticed, "You can look, you know Captain."

"I know, sir." Will sat down as far from the women as he could. "I would prefer not to."

One of the girls giggled, "Don't tell me he's a buggerer. We'll have to send out for that."

"Not at all," Beatty shook his head, "Hopelessly devoted to his wife."

"We'll see about that." The girl gave him an appraising look. "I'm quite sure I can have him corrupted by the end of the night."

That led to a round of laughter from the other men, and Will did his best not to blush. He could feel his ears burning though, and spent the next few minutes staring at the surface of the table. It really was a lovely grain, nice and straight but with a few whirls to keep his attention. It was obscured as a glass was set in front of him, Beatty's voice humorous. "Here, plain water."

Will picked it up, sniffing it. "There's whiskey in it."

"Damn," The admiral chuckled, "We're going to have to be smarter about this." He removed the glass, replacing it with a glass that fortunately smelled of merely water. Will was glad for it, although he kept himself to small sips. Beatty would likely make getting another glass rather hard, so he would conserve what he had.

Of course nothing could be too easy though, for one of the other men had brought out a cigar and the others seemed to find him blowing smoke at Will to be hilarious. Fortunately he could see when the smoke was coming his way and Will took a breath before to let the smoke fade before he breathed again. Honestly, it made Will want to laugh. Was this really all they could come up with? Schoolboy pranks, hardly the kind to do little more than annoy him. If this was all the night would hold then he would be with Ana soon enough.

But then he felt something crawling over his shoulders, and he sat much straighter as he saw a filmy pink sleeve enter his vision. The girl, Will had no idea where she had come from, was lightly dragging her fingers over his shoulders, down his arm, and up his throat as she sat in his lap. Will only risked a single glance, noting blonde hair, brown eyes and a large expanse of bare skin before her gown started right at the edge of her corset. Her voice was a tickling breath against his ear, "Hello sailor boy, I'm Anne."

Will swallowed, staring straight ahead. He was not going to speak, he was not going to look at her, he was going to ignore the way she smelled of roses and the laughter of the others at the table. He knew the girl was trying to be seductive, that was obvious with the way she was dragging her nails up the back of his neck and angling her breasts for his viewing pleasure. He also had no doubt she was pouting, "Oh, he's shy."

"Now Will," Beatty chided, smiling far too much. "You shouldn't be rude to a lady here, they look badly on that."

Will grit his teeth, "I have no interest in you, madam. I suggest you look elsewhere tonight."

"But I'm quite happy here," She wiggled in his lap, pressing herself tightly to him. "And I'll have you happy I'm here soon enough." There was nothing for it, Will stood and swiftly dislodged her from his lap. Anne, if that really was her name, scrambled in a most unladylike way to her feet after catching herself against the edge of the table. She stalked forward, "No one does that to me."

"I already told you I was uninterested." Will kept his eyes averted.

Which meant he didn't see her hand reach out until it was covering the crotch of his pants, rubbing at him. "Well I am interested, and it feels like you are too."

Will caught her hand, his grip punishing. Usually he wouldn't be this firm with a lady, but this woman was no lady. He removed her hand, gently shoving her away. "Do not touch me."

He suddenly found his head whipping to the side, his cheek burning and when he brought a hand up, it came away bloody. He could see his blood under Anne's nails, her seductive tone of voice long gone. "No one refuses me!"

"And you knew the rules." Beatty had stood, his face grim. "The man is a captain, dear, one of my captains and he will be treated with respect." He stepped around the table, pulling a bill from his wallet. "You were to tempt him, that was all. Now, move along. You're no longer needed."

Anne swiped the bill, tossing her head as she strode off to examine the other customers. Will pulled his handkerchief out, pressing it to his cheek. "Sir, that was cruel."

Beatty shrugged, "I didn't know she would hit you, I just wanted you to loosen up a bit."

"I can be loose sir," Will stood straight, "I just have no interest in other women."

"Then you're a rarity in the Navy," Beatty chuckled, waving him towards the table. "You can sit down and have a drink, I'll write out your leave in the morning."

Will hesitated, for the glass of whiskey that had been set down for him was extremely tempting after what he had just gone through. "Sir, you're not joking again, are you?"

"Hell, I'll write it now." Beatty laughed, reaching into his coat for a pen and a scrap of paper. He muttered as he wrote, "Captain William Murdoch is entitled to a week of leave from active duty for the week of," He glanced over, "When's your wife's birthday."

"November thirtieth." Will reached for his whiskey, "Thank you, sir."

Beatty handed the paper over, fully filled out. "Enjoy your leave, and your time here. Although, you could probably still get Anne back. She came highly recommended when I described your taste in women."

Will took a stiff drink, "Sir, she cannot compare to my Ana. No woman can."

I couldn't help being in a good mood as I got to the offices. Will had sent a wire that he was coming home for my birthday, Mother had begun sending more food and Sylvie had said Lights was going to be in town around the same time. We had planned several nights for all of us to be together, the boys desperately wanted to see their Uncle Will and Will had never even met Doreen.

Mr. Collins had quickly fallen into his work at the offices, although he had taken the day off to see to his furniture that had just arrived from Wales. He was going to meet me back at the house after in order to collect his belongings, the man was incredibly happy to sleep in his own apartment tonight although he had admitted that he would miss Rigel and was not looking forward to being alone.

Fortunately, his wife was due to arrive tomorrow.

The docks were fairly crowded, more and more troops being shipped over to France and more and more supplies following them. I avoided looking too closely at docks that weren't my own, I had caught a glimpse of the Olympic in her new role as a troop ship one day and had barely stopped myself from locking myself in my office and going after the brandy.

I kept to my docks and my ships, but even those were crowded with dozens of people. Fortunately most of them made way for me as I left the offices, letting me weave through the crowd easily until I stopped short when I heard my name.

"Anastasia," A voice hissed, and I turned.

His hat was drawn low, his suit rather disheveled, and his eyes wild, but I would have known him anywhere. "Oscar? What are-"

"I can explain later." He muttered, glancing behind him. "I need you to kiss me, now."

"What?"

He grabbed my arm, "Kiss me, now, or those two men are going to follow me until they manage to shoot me." His grip was tight enough to hurt, and I quickly glanced over his shoulder. I could see two men moving through the crowd, glancing around quickly. I could also see how they each kept one hand low, close to their belt and at the ready. I hesitated a moment, promised myself that I would explain things to Will, and then threw my arms around Oscar.

He kept his lips to himself mostly, but he did grip me close and pull me towards the edge of the crowd. He only separated for a moment, "Do you have a car? A cab?"

I blinked quickly, "A car, right over there."

He looked around, nodded, and kissed me again. He dragged me with him, stealing another kiss every few steps. He removed one hand to fumble with the door, then threw himself into the back. He stayed on the floor, out of the sight of the windows while I started the car and tried to get my thoughts under control.

Oscar was here, I knew he was in Britain but he was in Southampton, in my car. Liz had written about how worried she was, how much her parents were equal parts furious and distressed, and her brother had managed to find me. My hands were still shaking when I pulled the car into the garage, turning off the engine.

Oscar waited until I had closed the garage door to get out of the car, his voice a whisper. "Do you see them?"

I cracked the door and looked up and down the street, it was deserted. "No."

"Then let's get inside," He moved quickly, taking my hand. He dropped it once we were inside though, bounding up the stairs. "Just a moment!"

Mr. Collins, stretched out in the parlor, stared after him. "Who-"

"He's an old friend from New York." I sighed, shaking my head. "And he has promised to explain everything."

Oscar was almost panting as he came down the stairs, dropping into a chair in the parlor. He blinked at me, then made to rise. "I'm sorry, I should have offered it to you."

I waved him off, sitting on the settee with Mr. Collins. "It's fine, Oscar, but what in the world is going on?"

He drug a hand down his face, taking a deep breath. "I couldn't stay in New York anymore, I needed to help somehow. That professor, Featherstone, he offered me a job helping with some intelligence work he was recruited for. I came down to Southampton to check on you," He smirked, "Your mother asked me to. I was also here to pick up a package without being seen, but I managed to bungle that."

I glanced up the stairs, "Is it?"

"I hid it quite well, no worries there." He leaned back in the chair. "I was spotted by two men that I took for German agents and they started tailing me. I ran for your docks as quick as I could, I knew I could find help there." Oscar bowed his head, "I am sorry for kissing you, but people tend not to look too closely at kissing couples."

At that Mr. Collins stood, his hand reaching for Oscar's collar until I caught it. "You did what?"

"I allowed him!" I shoved his arm down, "It was nothing, just to keep him safe."

"I would not have forced it on her." Oscar glanced away as I practically bullied Mr. Collins back into his seat. "But I am grateful she helped me."

Once I was certain that Mr. Collins wouldn't strangle Oscar, I took my own seat. "Oscar, it's not that I'm upset to see you," I pursed my lips, "Well, that's a bit of a lie. You upset everyone back in New York, you know."

"I know, I regret that my leaving effected them so but I couldn't sit by."

"And I understand," I sighed, "But now what will you do? You obviously can't be a spy anymore."

He snorted, "Of course I can, it was just one mistake. I'll lie low for a few days and then take a train back to London. I still got what I was supposed to get, that's all that matters."

"You're going to get yourself killed." Mr. Collins grumbled, "And if you think your family was upset when you left."

Oscar shifted in his chair, "I'll be more careful, this was an accident." He turned to me though, smiling brilliantly. "A most fortuitous accident, thought."

I rolled my eyes, "Oscar, you can't count on kissing a woman to get you out of trouble every time."

"Anastasia," He stood, taking my hand. "I truly am grateful for you helping me, and you have my deepest apologies for the method."

I closed my eyes, "Oscar, just, just stop for now."

"Ma'am," Mr. Collins stood, casting a glare at Oscar. "I'm not leaving until your husband arrives."

Oscar cocked his head, "Will's coming?"

"Yes, he got leave for my birthday." I turned back to Mr. Collins. "But you're supposed to meet your wife in the morning."

"I'm not letting you alone with him." Mr. Collins rolled his shoulders, looking for all the world like he would use his one hand to strangle Oscar if he so much as breathed the wrong way. "At least when I was here with you people said you were being kind to a veteran, but you alone with him will cause no end of trouble."

"Now, I would never-" Oscar stood, clearly intending to defend himself until we all whipped our heads to the front door that had just opened.

Will, his seabag already on the floor and his cap in his hand, took in the three of us. "Ana, what's going on?"

I couldn't help myself, throwing my arms around him and peppering his face with kisses. "Will! You didn't say it would be today!"

"I caught an early train." He grinned, pressing a firm kiss to my lips. "Now, explain."

"Lieutenant Luke Collins," Mr. Collins extended his hand, "Pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

Will nodded, "I'm glad to see that you're doing well, Ana wrote me all about you. You must be glad to be returning to normalcy."

"Somewhat, sir. Mrs. Murdoch has been kind enough to keep me on as her assistant, so you'll still see me around."

"Very good," Will turned to Oscar. "Now what are you doing here?"

"Causing trouble," Mr. Collins grumbled, "Forcing kisses on your wife."

Will's hand tightened around my waist, and I hastily turned to him. "Will, it was nothing. He's been-"

"I've been spying." Oscar stood, coming to face Will. "I bungled a job and needed a distraction to avoid attention. I had only meant to check on Anastasia for her mother, the kiss was so that no one would look as we got to the car."

"Mr. Collins," Will's voice was ice cold, and he removed his hand from my waist. "Please head out, we can speak more at a later time." I could feel my belly twisting with worry as Mr. Collins collected his hat and headed out, shutting the door behind him. My husband's breath was coming fast and harsh, color in his face. Oscar was saying something about how he never meant to, that he could see now it was a mistake, and then Will drove his fist into Oscar's stomach, making him double over. "You kissed my wife!"

I brought my hands up to cover my mouth, shocked at what he had done. "Will! I explained it to you, it was nothing!"

But then Oscar drew in a harsh breath, his voice hoarse, "And you left her and made her miserable!" He threw himself on Will, bearing him down to the floor and pummeling Will's body with his fists. "You didn't see her wasting away! She was practically dying because of you!"

I grabbed Oscar's arm on the backswing, tugging. "He's apologized for that!"

"He should do more than that!" Oscar spat, shaking me off and returning to beating Will. Will didn't take it willingly though, twisting around so that he and Oscar kept changing position as they both took any opportunity to hurt the other.

A whine drew my attention, Rigel clearly distressed by the sight. I stamped my foot, shouting. "Nis!"

Rigel threw himself on Oscar, barking loudly and managing to sink his teeth into Oscar's jacket. A swift tug had him separated, Oscar rolling onto his back. Rigel stood over him, growling. Will scrambled away, his uniform disheveled. His blue eyes, wild, turned to me. "You turned the dog on us?"

"You two were acting like idiots," I grumbled, slapping my leg to bring Rigel over. I glared at both men on the floor. "Honestly, fighting? Will, I explained to you that the kiss meant nothing. Does my word mean nothing?" My husband's face reddened and he looked away. "Oscar, I wrote you about how much Will regretted what his leaving caused me." His brown eyes also slipped away. "You two fighting solves nothing."

"Ana," Will struggled to his feet, "You can't expect me to not be angry over that."

I raised a brow, "I don't." I brushed my hand over his cheek, noticing how he flinched when I touched a part of it. I looked closer, seeing two pink lines. "What are these?"

Will's head dropped, "Beatty thought it would be fun to tease me with some girls, one of them was offended when I refused her."

Oscar barked out a laugh at that, coming to his own feet. "Flirting, Captain?"

"Hardly," Will reached for me, but I shoved his hand away.

I put my hands on my hips, staring at the two of them. "Honestly, both of you! You're both acting like complete animals. I should make you sleep outside and let Rigel in the bed with me." Oscar at least looked shamefaced, while Will still had a bit of a glare in his eye. "We all need to go to bed, we can deal with whatever else you two want to fight about in the morning."

Oscar nodded, "Of course, Anastasia. I take it the cot is still available, or should I avail myself of a bush outside?"

"Take the cot," Will hooked a thumb towards the stairs. "We'll be up shortly." He waited until Oscar had climbed the stairs, the door to the office shutting firmly behind him. Will sighed, "Ana, what am I to do with you?"

I crossed my arms. "Will, I am not going to approve of you two fighting, ever."

"I know," He sighed, coming to wrap his arms around me. "I am sorry about that, but I don't like the thought of him kissing you."

I leaned into his arms, "I won't do it again, it was only to help. There was nothing in it, I swear."

"I believe you," He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my lips. "But I am afraid I may have to punish you for it."

I felt myself blush, because I knew what he meant. "Will, Oscar is in the room right by us."

"I know, I want him to hear you scream my name."