Part VI

"Rob, would you just listen to me for a moment." Cathy tried for the twentieth time, forcing herself to remain calm.
"No, I will not listen to you!" Fletcher snapped back pacing around angrily. "Help me for crying out loud!" He let his eyes flick over the other people in the room, all former crewmembers. "Tell her this is ludicrous! Unnatural!"

Will crossed his arms and leaned back against the hull, looking up at her. "'s That really true chief?"
Cathy let out a breath, closing her eyes and nodding. "Yes."
"Crap…" Will shook his head. "So that means neither of you two are single, right?"
Green eyes looked at him. "Uhuh…"
"Bugger… Well, there goes that fantasy…" The skipper muttered, getting some chuckles out of the rest of the room's inhabitants. 
"This is not a laughing matter!" Fletcher's voice sounded angrily. "This is a disrespect to the way of the Lord!"
"Oh please…" Tony muttered, standing up and facing Robert. "The chief is the best human being I have had the privilege of meeting. If she's a disrespect to God I sure hope I'm gonna end up in Hell with all the other great people like her…" He placed a hand on Cathy's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We could have some great barbecues… What do you say, chief?" Agreeing mutters drifted up around them.
Catherine chuckled, giving the young man a thankful look. "You betcha, T."

"You people are all crazy!" Fletcher's eyes shot dangerously from one side to the other. They finally came to rest on Cathy's and he took a step closer. "Look, Cat, can't you see what's going on? That whore's got you under some sort of spell… Don't you…"
Tony felt the muscles under his hand tense instantly. "Fletcher, I think you should take that back…"
Robert turned to him. "Take what back? That the bitch is just…"

A fist impacted harshly with his face, sending him staggering back. 
"Don't you say another word about her…" Cathy hissed in a dangerously low voice. "Or I swear I'll…"
"You'll do what?" Fletcher spat back at her, wiping the blood that was dripping out of his nose away with a swipe of his arm. "You gonna beat me up, hmm? Well, come on…" He motioned her forward with his hand. 
Cathy hesitated, really not wanting to get into a full out fight right now.
"Don't start this…" She tried.
"Well, what will you do then?" Fletcher asked, staring at her intensely. "If you're not gonna fight me, what?"

"She'll send me after you…" An even lower voice dropped into the conversation as Lara slowly made her way into the room. "And you know, I really don't like people calling me names… I have this tendency to…" She considered her words for a moment. "…inflict serious damage to their exterior." She stepped up behind Cathy, gently placing both hands on the woman's shoulders. "So I suggest you back off… Now…"

The last word was no more then a growl, and Robert actually shivered, stepping back just a little. Then he regained his compose and straightened. "Fine…" He glanced across the room. "If none of you will see reason I don't need any of you." He snapped, then strode out of the room with firm paces.

"Wonder where he's gonna run off to." Tony muttered, crossing his arms. "Hope he finds some corner somewhere and stays there for the rest of this trip."
"Here here." Will stated, leaning back on his bed.

"You OK?" Lara asked softly, gently massaging the tense muscles under her fingertips.
Green eyes peeked up at her, then Cathy let out a breath. "Yeah… Just got nasty there for a moment…"
"Well, at least you've got the yell and punch technique down pat." Lara grinned at her, ruffling the blond hair back. Then she raised her voice to address the whole group "Why don't we all head up and see if Cookie fixed up some supper?"

Within seconds the room was empty.

Lara watched the last few people race up the stairs with a shake of her head, then she looked down as an arm wrapped itself around her waist. "I know you didn't want me to barge in…" The captain muttered, looking down at the blonde head. "But you know I didn't drop in cause I didn't think you couldn't handle this, right? I just didn't want any more blood spilled on my
poor ship, while you defended my honour."
"You're a true pacifist, Lara." Cathy chuckled, leaning her head against the captain's shoulder. "You're forgiven, really… I'm just glad this is over…" She peeked up at the captain. "Now, did I hear you mention supper?"
Lara just chuckled, steering the two of them towards the stairs.

"You know, if you'd put Cookie and you into the same body, you'd get the perfect woman."
Lara rolled her eyes "I think not… You'd get a stubborn, tough, overprotective person who can coincidentally cook." 
Cathy chuckled, leaning back on her hands on the bed's surface and watching the captain lean over her desk. "Did you find out where Robert hid?"
"Matthew says he went below deck somewhere." Lara muttered, studying some notes. "I said to just leave 'm there until we reach land. Shouldn't be much longer anyway."
"Hmm." Cathy nodded, considering. "I was thinking… Maybe I should go and talk to him again, see if I could get him to see reason…"
Blue eyes looked up. "You could try." Lara leaned back, folding her hands together. " But I doubt it'd do any good."
"No, I don't think it will either…" Cathy let out a breath, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "It's stupid, this shouldn't be bothering me, right? He wasn't a particularly close friend or anything… I'm probably better off this way, right?"
"Maybe…" Lara agreed quietly. "I got along with him great…when he was unconscious."
Cathy laughed softly, folding her hands under her head.

The captain studied her for a moment, considering her options. "Catherine?"
Cathy rolled onto her side and popped her head up on her hand. "Yeah?"
"Why did you stop drawing?" 

The question blew her completely off track and she sat up in the blink of an eye, gazing at the captain silently for a moment. "How did you know I stopped?"
Lara pulled open a drawer quietly and lifted the small sketchbook. 
Cathy gazed at her. "You went through my things?" She asked, her voice a mix of anger, and fear, and something else Lara couldn't quite place. 
"You left it on my desk." The captain defended herself quietly. "And you're avoiding the question."
Green eyes focused on her for another moment, looking at her doubtingly, then Cathy just shook her head, leaning her elbows on her knees. "I just didn't have time…"
"Really?" Lara raised an eyebrow at her, not buying a word she was saying.
Catherine let out a breath, recognising the tone of voice. "It's just…" Her hands fumbled with the edge of her shirt. "It just didn't feel right anymore.. Everything I drew was just…" A shrug. "Just a bunch of lines and… I didn't enjoy doing it anymore, so I quit…"
"Just like that?"
A nod. "It's OK, you know… I don't miss it or anything. I do other stuff now…"
Lara regarded the bent head for a moment. "It might come back, you know?"
Cathy shook her head. "No, it's been too long…" She looked up. "It's OK, really… Isn't a big deal or anything."
"All right." The captain relented quietly, then stood, straightening her shirt as she did so. "Hey, you up for some dessert?" She tried to lift the mood.
Green eyes looked up, obviously grateful for the change in subject. "Dessert?"
"Cookie made some pie, I think..." Lara told her with a grin as she extended a hand down to the blonde. "C'mon…"
Cathy allowed herself to be pulled up. "I haven't had dessert in ages…"
Lara smiled. "Figured as much." She gave her friend a gentle shove towards the door. "Go on, I'll just put my stuff away and be right there…"
"OK..." Cathy nodded, hastily exiting the room and heading for the galley.

Lara walked back to her desk, rolling up her papers and tucking them into the drawers they belonged in. She balanced Cathy's sketchpad in her hands for a moment, staring at it pensively. It was a big deal to Catherine. She knew that, she wasn't stupid… The blonde was such a lousy liar. She tapped the papers in her hand in thought. She was going to fix his… Somehow…

"I am so stuffed." 
Lara chuckled, folding her hands behind her back. "Now why am I not surprised…"
Cathy poked a finger at her companion. "Don't act so smug."
"Catherine, you nearly at the whole pie:"
"I did not!" The blonde looked up at her indignantly. "I ate four pieces… Just four…"
The captain grinned. "Normal people take one piece, you know?"
"Are you saying I'm normal?"
Lara lifted an arm and wrapped it around Cathy's shoulders with a smile. "Wouldn't dream of it…"
"Good." Catherine grinned up at her cheerfully.

"Chief!" 
Cathy turned her head to see Claudia bounding closer. "Hey Claud."
"Chief, did you…" The sentence stopped abruptly as the redhead realised who was standing beside her, her eyes growing round as she they drifted up to meet clear blue ones, looking back at her. 
"Hi." Lara greeted her politely. "Claudia, right?" She extended a hand down to the girl. 
"Bw… I…" The girl blinked up at the captain in disbelief. "Uhm…" She gazed at the offered hand, then turned and bolted, racing down the stairs into the cargohold. 
Lara watched her take off in non-understanding, then glanced at Cathy, as the woman burst out in laughter. "What?"
Cathy let the laughing wind down, wiping some tears out of her eyes. "Oh, that was funny." 
A dark eyebrow raised at her. "What was up with that kid?"
"She's suffering from a good dose of Torment adoration." Catherine informed the captain with a smirk. "That seems to be a common thing for former Phoenix crewmembers." She batted her lashes up at the captain, giving her an adoring look of her own. 
Lara rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Get real."
"I'm dead serious." Cathy told her sternly. "My crew loves you… Some even asked me if they could stay on board." 
The captain looked down at her. "What did you say?"
"That I'd talk to you about it…"
Lara expelled a breath, crossing her arms. "Is the kid one of them?"
"Naturally." 
An even deeper sigh. 
"Aw, come on, Lara." Catherine wrapped an arm around the captain's waist. "She's not that bad. She's just a little overwhelmed by everything… I really like her." Lara scowled, which was a clear indication to Cathy she was on the right track to getting what she wanted. "She's a really hard worker, all of them are… And since we'll probably have the English navy after us sometime soon, I'm sure you could use the extra hands… Right?"
Lara tried to give her companion an intimidating look, but failed miserably, as usual, and just relented, tossing up her hands in defeat. "Fine."
Cathy beamed a smile at her. "Thank you." 
"Yeah yeah…" Lara muttered. A short pause. "So you got your crew to change their mind about the hated Torment, did you?"
"Uhuh." Cathy confirmed. "Though they didn't really need a lot of convincing, you know?" She amended, then winced as she spotted a hateful gaze shot in her direction from across the ship. "Well, most of them didn't…"
Lara looked up as she felt her friend's back tense, to find Fletcher staring at them. She exhaled, gently squeezing Cathy's shoulder. "Don't let him get to you, Catherine. He's not worth it, all right?"
"I know." Cathy whispered softly, as she studied the wooden deck intently. "I just… I don't understand why he has to hate me for this…" Green eyes peeked up. "I don't like people hating me, even if it is someone like him…"
Lara gave her a compassionate look. 
"But I guess I should just get over it, huh?" Cathy forced some confidence into her voice. "You're right. He's not worth it… I…"
"Hey…" Lara interrupted her, reaching out and stroking her cheek. "It's OK to feel bad. You don't have to hide how you feel from me, all right? I want you to tell me, so I can do something about whatever it is that's bothering you…"
"That's really sweet." Catherine smiled up at her, then leaned her head against the captain's shoulder. "But there's nothing you can do, Lara. You can't just make him change his mind…"
"Maybe not." The captain leaned her head against the blonde's, watching as Fletcher gave them a despising look. Lara shot him a look of her own, chillingly cold, and he hastily diverted his gaze, turning away from them. "Maybe not." 

"Lower the anchor, Ben!"
"Aye capt'n!" The boy nodded and set to work.
Lara looked out over the side of the ship towards the dark mass of land hidden in shadows by the red rays of the setting sun. It was a nice island, she remembered. Pretty large, with a watersupply and good farmingland. It wouldn't be hard to survive here, just a tad different from the sailinglife these people were accustomed to.
"Looks nice." Cathy commented, leaning against the railing beside her. "You sure you want to start bringing things over now? I mean, it is getting quite late…"
Lara shrugged. "Can't hurt getting started. I don't think there's any mayor predators on these islands or anything… Might as well start setting up things while we're still awake…"
"Guess so." Cathy murmured in agreement, turning and watching the sun sink deeper below the water's surface.
"First rowboat's ready, cap." Tom commented, waving her over. 
"Great." Lara smiled, then tugged at Cathy's shirt. "C'mon, I might need some help with these…"
Catherine raised an eyebrow at the request, but followed anyway.

"Hop in…" The captain waved her towards the boat as she picked up a small crate and lifted it onto her right shoulder, bringing it over to the boat. "Grab on, Tommy."
"Gotcha, cap." The skipper, who had seated himself behind the oars, took the crate from her and shoved it under one of the benches, then waited for Lara to jump in as well before motioning for Ben to lower the vessel into the water.

Will leaned back on his bench on the other side, closing his eyes and draining in the last rays of sunshine. "Lovely night out." He commented lazily, taking a deep breath.
"It ain't half bad." Tom agreed, pulling on the oars. "Nice night for starting a new colony."
Lara nodded. "Looks like we might have a full moon. It'll come in handy…"
Cathy glanced from one to the other, somehow sensing a conspiracy.
"Prob'ly," Will chatted on cheerfully. "'s Gonna be weird living on steady earth I reckon… But I guess there's no other alternative, huh?"
"Ya could build a boat." Tom suggested. "Roam the seas,…" he looked up at Lara with a twinkle in his eyes. "Hey cap, you could start a fleet. Lara Dean's Armada, what do ya think?"
The captain chuckled. "I dunno, Tommy, I think I've got my hands full on just keeping one ship afloat."
"True enough." The skipper agreed with a laugh, then pulled in the oars and hopped out of the boat, dragging it to land. "Welcome to Laraland." 
Lara hopped out, ignoring the comment as her boots landed on the beach with a soft splat of the wet sand. "Oh, steady earth beneath my boots… scary…"
Cathy rolled her eyes as she got out of the boat as well. "Silly seapeople."
"And what are you then?" Will raised an eyebrow at her. "You ain't no landlover either, chief."
"No, not anymore." Cathy conceded as she pulled a large bag from under one of the benches. "But I'm not afraid of a bit of sand like some people I know." She gave Lara a look, but the captain just chuckled good naturedly.
"Here, I'll take that off ya…" Tom lifted the heavy bag off Cathy's shoulders and swung it onto his own. "Good God, this's heavy…" He grunted as he walked off towards a nearby clearing.

"But…"Catherine looked after him, raising an eyebrow. The next moment she felt a tug on her shirt.
"C'mon…" Lara was pulling her in the opposite direction. 
Green eyes looked at her in complete lack of understanding. "What is going on here?"
"I just wanna show you something…" Lara stalked off down the beach, then turned as she noticed she wasn't being followed. "Well, we don't have all night, you know?"
Cathy gazed at her another moment, then shook her head and gave in, trotting after the captain.

"I can't believe you can find your way through here…" Cathy muttered, trying to avoid being smacked in the head by one of the thick branches that was obscuring their path, hardly visible in the dark. "How often have you been here?"
"Once." Lara muttered, making a left.
Catherine shook her head in disbelief, following close behind, thankful for the bright moonlight. "What's so special out here anyway? Don't tell me you buried your Pirate's treasure here, Miss Torment."
Lara chuckled softly. "Something like that." 
"I sure hope you're not s…"
"Shhhh." The captain turned and lifted a finger to her lips. "Be quiet." 
A blonde eyebrow raised at her. "What do y..."
A hand wrapped over her mouth. "Quiet." Lara repeated in a whisper.
Cathy rolled her eyes and nodded, waiting for the hand to release its hold and Lara to crouch down, motioning for her to get down as well.
"What am I gonna do, scare your gold away?" Cathy muttered, kneeling down as well and following the captain on hand and knees. "If this is a joke and Matthew's out there somewhere laughing at me you will not reach the Argo alive, you realise that don't you?"
Lara stopped in front of some low bushes and waved her closer. "No joke."
She informed the woman with a smile, then pulled aside some of the leafs.

Cathy gazed through, then shot the captain a look. "It's a beach... You made me crawl all this way for a beach?!"
"Shh!"
"You afraid the grains of sand will run when they hear me?" Cathy muttered. "I mean really, the…mph!!"
"Shh!" Lara repeated again in a hiss. "Would you just be patient."
"I amph noph a paphien perphon." Catherine informed her, crossing her arms and glaring at the captain. 
"Humour me." Lara retorted, letting her eyes flick across the beach. "With some luck it won't be…" A smile crossed her face. "Bingo…" 
"Whaph?" Cathy frowned, glancing over the beach as well. "I donph hee a phing."
Lara slowly pulled her hand from Cathy's mouth, then pointed at a point a little way off. "Look…"
The blonde focused her eyes on the moonlit sand. "But I don't s…" Her sentence trailed off as she caught movement in the sand, tiny black paws forcing their way up. Moments later a small greenish black head poked its way into the night, crawling out of the sand. "What…?" She glanced up at Lara, who smiled back at her.
"Young seaturtles." The captain informed her in a whisper. "I saw their mom lay eggs the last time I was here … I figured it was about time they hatched…"

Cathy blinked at her, then looked back as more heads poked out of the sand, before small bodies started a race towards the water with hasty uncoordinated movement. "Amazing…" She breathed. A laugh bubbled its way up and she let it, dampening the sound with a hand as to not to alarm the little creatures. "This is so fantastic." She glanced up at Lara, who was
watching the spectacle herself. "Thank you for taking me here."
Blue eyes, almost pale in the moonlight, glanced down at her for a moment. "Anytime." Lara smiled, then turned back to the now hundreds of baby turtles, waggling over the beach.
Cathy laid down on her stomach, resting her head on her hands. "They're so cute." She mused softly. "I wish I'd brought…"

Her heart stopped as she realised what she was about to say. 
Movement beside her caught her attention as Lara dug into her jacket, pulling out a small pencil and a familiar old sketchbook. The captain held both out to her quietly, a grin tugging at her lips.

Cathy looked up at her for a moment in complete shock. Then she glanced down at the two items and reached out tentatively, taking them from the captain's hands. She released a breath, letting her fingers twirl with the wooden pencil for a moment. "That's what all of this was about?" She asked quietly, peeking up at Lara.
The woman beside her nodded softly.
Catherine shook her head just a little in amazement. "You are so incredible, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know." Lara's eyes twinkled as she lazily brushed her nails on her shirt.
"Geez." Cathy rolled her eyes and gave the captain a teasing poke. "You and your ego…"
Lara chuckled contentedly, watching as Cathy almost hesitantly flapped open the cover of her pad, flipping past the first few pages until she found an empty sheet. "You want me to… uhm…." Lara waved a hand at their surroundings, figuring Cathy probably didn't need her watching her every move.
But Catherine hastily shook her head. "Nah, stay…" She reached out and covered the captain's hand with her own, squeezing it gently.
"Sure." Lara agreed eagerly, lying down beside her, returning her eyes to the beach, trying not to look as Cathy fingered her pencil for another moment, before tentatively putting the first strokes down on paper. Trying not to see how the strokes got surer and surer. Trying not to see the smile that slowly spread across the blonde face, a smile that made her face look
several years younger. At least three years younger, to be exact…

She happily gazed out over the beach, watching the movements of the small animals and listening to the soft hissing of the sea, mixing with the scribbling of the pencil beside her. Not bad, Lara. She complimented herself silently. For a stoic, stubborn, tough sailor you did quite well here. Sand crunched beside her as Cathy pulled herself a bit closer, then soft lips touched her cheek for the shortest of moments, before hasty pencilstrokes filled the air again. Lara grinned broadly. Not bad at all.

Now there was only one more thing she had to take care off… A smile crossed her face as her sensitive hearing picked up some movement a little way behind them. And there the thing was now… She pushed herself to her feet softly. "Be right back..."
"Sure…" Cathy muttered absently, flipping over another page and started on a turtle's head.

Lara walked away from the beach a little, soon enough hearing footsteps dropping in behind her. She sped up a little, then hid behind one of the trees waiting patiently….A footstep… and another… One more and…

With a satisfying crunch she slammed her hand against Fletcher's scull. The young man staggered back in shock, loosing the grip around the gun he'd been holding and letting it drop out of his hands.
"Hi." Lara smiled politely at him, picking up the pistol and tucking it into her belt. "Fancy meeting you out here…"
Hateful eyes narrowed at her. "You should stay away from her…" The blond man hissed. "You're wrong for her…"
"I'm wrong?" A dark eyebrow lifted. 
"You're leading her off the right path." Rob pointed a finger at her angrily. "She doesn't belong with you. She's supposed to stay with me!"
"Well, aren't we being selfless…" The captain crossed her arms and glared at him as she stepped forward, closing in on him slowly. "Let me make something really clear, Fletcher. This is not about what you want… Or what I want… This is about what she wants…" She sped into movement suddenly, pushing an arm into Robert's throat and pinning him up against a tree, his feet dangling inches above the ground. "I don't care if you don't agree with what she's doing. You're hurting her. And I will not have her suffering any more under the burdens other people place on her. Do you understand what I'm saying here?"
Fletcher gasped for air, blinking at her with wide eyes.
"So…" Lara smiled at him charmingly. "Tomorrow morning, when we leave, you will step up to her and tell her you're sorry about what you said…" The pleasant voice dropped to a growl. "Won't you?"
Robert hastily nodded.
"Good." Lara purred, then eased the pressure, letting him fall back. 
The young man lifted a hand to his throat, rubbing the sore skin. "You're insane…"
Lara nodded in agreement. "Oh, absolutely… And if you want to find out just exactly how insane I am, you will not apologise tomorrow and I'll give you a wonderful demonstration, OK? But if you'd rather live a long and happy life… well…" She left the thought drifting, then patted his cheek, before turning and walking off.

"There you are…" Cathy's voice drifted up as she came near the beach again. "Where did you go off to anyway?"
Lara she dropped down beside the young woman, sitting cross-legged. "Just went for a stroll…"
Catherine looked at her for a moment, then frowned as she spotted the weapon tucked into Lara's belt. "I didn't know you brought a gun?"
The captain shrugged. "You never know what kinda creepy crawlies you can run into in these woods, ya know?"
"Right…" The blonde gave her companion an odd look, then turned back to her drawing, lifting up her latest creation and holding it up to the captain. "What do you think?"
Lara smiled as she studied the drawing of a dozen of the small turtles waggling towards the water. "Brilliant…"
Cathy beamed at her. "Really?"
"I never lie." The captain informed her sternly, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "How does it feel?"
Catherine let out a breath, leaning back against Lara contentedly. "Great." She murmured happily. "You know, I really thought I lost this… Just being able to draw what I wanted to, just because it felt good…" She smiled, closing her eyes and allowing her senses to soak in the moment. "This is the best present ever, Lara… Thank you so much…"
The captain kissed the top of her head. "Anytime." She said softly, wrapping her arms even tighter around the blonde. "Next time you run out of inspiration, just yell and I'll find us some turtles, OK?"
"Deal." Cathy grinned, covering the hand wrapped around her waist with her own and gently squeezing it. "But to be honest, I think I found a supply of inspiration that'll last me a lifetime…"

Lara gazed out over the sparkling water quietly, watching the morning sunlight scattering off the waves. It was a good day for sailing, she decided, with the sturdy wind and the nice clear skies… She watched quietly from her stop on the bough as a small rowboat slowly drifted closer, the few passengers pulling themselves up, after a ropeladder was lowered.

"Well, I still think ya should've caught some of the little buggers." Cookie 's voice drifted over. "We could've had turtle soup tonight. That's a delicacy, ya know?"
"Cookie!" Cathy gave the cook an indignant look. "You can't just kill cute little animals like that…"
"And what about them cute little fishies then, eh?"
Catherine crossed her arms. "Fish are fish… You're supposed to eat those…"
"So ya can eat fish, but ya ain't supposed to eat turtles?" The cook tsked at her. "That's discrimination last time I checked, kiddo."
"Well, I don't think the turtles will mind much." Cathy sighed in exasperation.
Lara followed the conversation with a grin. "Just stop it, Catherine. We, mere mortals, can not compete with the great reasoning skills of our master chef."
"Heh." Cookie chortled, poking a finger at the blonde's belly. "See, honey, the brat's learned her lesson finally…" The cook grinned. "Anyways, I'd better get back to ma kitchen on Mount Olympus…" She winked at both women, then strode off towards the galley.

Cathy watched her go with a shake of her head. "You know, half the time I have no idea what that woman is talking about…"
Lara chuckled. "Me neither."

"Get those sails up!" Matthew's voice echoed across the deck. "Tony, raise the anchor please."

Lara let the chaos slip around her, leaning her arms on the wooden railing and staring at the shore of the island, where a small crowd was gathered. 
Cathy waved at them. "Hey, you know what happened?"
A dark eyebrow lifted at her. "What?"
"Rob apologised."
The captain repressed a smirk. "Really?"
"Yeah. He said he didn't mean what he said and he was just really upset cause he wanted me to stay with them and all…" Cathy nodded, leaning her head against the captain's shoulder as the ship slowly sailed further and further away from the island and its new inhabitants. "You know, I was really glad he said that, cause it was still sort of bugging me a little…"
"It was? I hadn't noticed…" Lara mumbled, leaning her head against Cathy's. "Well, I'm glad things worked out OK."
"Yeah…" Catherine smiled, looking at the stretch of water in front of them, letting the wind blow back her hair.. "So am I…"

They spend a moment staring back until the island was a mere dot on the horizon. "So, where are we headed?" Cathy's voice drifted over quietly. 
Lara considered the question for a moment, peering open an eye and glaring up at the sun. "South."
"Lara!" Catherine poked the captain in the stomach. "You know that's not what I mean."
The captain chuckled, then just shrugged and looked at her. "Where do you wanna go?"
Cathy blinked, having never been asked that before. "Uhm… I don't know…" She considered the question for a moment, then looked up at the captain. "Everywhere…"
Lara smiled, covering Catherine's hand with her own and intertwining their fingers. "Everywhere it is."


The End