Sail Away…Sail Away…Sail Away
by Beej and B
Jack Aubrey stood on the quarterdeck of the Surprise with a look like
thunder on his handsome face. Beej stood by his side, looking up into his eyes
and giggling as she gave his arm a squeeze.
"Joanne, beloved…I fear I made the wrong decision inviting Terrence to join us
on our trip…"
Jack stopped mid sentence as once again the Australian’s rich baritone voice
could be heard.
"Yo ho, yo, ho, a pirate’s life for me."
"He’s having fun, Jack, and he certainly has the muscle to help Bud weigh
anchor."
Jack looked down at the two men and decided they did indeed seem to working well
together, and having a good time.
Bridgid, meantime was trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Sure, Bud
had asked her out on a dinner date but he seemed reluctant to do so at first.
Now he insisted she bring the pup and here there were aboard this beautiful
ship.
Maybe she shou ld just ask Beej what was up. After all they were friend and this
sure as hell didn't seem like a run of the mill dinner cruise.
Making her way up to the quarter deck she almost felt as if she should be asking
permission to be there.
"I'm, uh, sorry to interrupt anything, Beej, but can someone tell me
what's going on here? Am I going someplace again?"
Beej looked down at Bud, who had been watching Bridgid and heard what was being
said. He shook his head slightly.
Holding onto Jack's hand, in the hope that she could silently convey a message
to him, she smiled at her dear friend and replied, "We all thought it would be
nice and relaxing for you to get your bearings via a short cruise around the
area, B."
For once, Jack caught on fairly quickly and added, "Why yes, Miss Bridgid. My
beloved has told me how at home you are on the water, so we decided this would
be the perfect way to help you get over your long journey here."
Why did she feel this was some kind of conspiracy or something? She stood looking from face to face for a moment then she shrugged . Beej was a good friend and she'd never do anything out of line. Under those circumstances she had to trust the Captain. As for Bud, well she hardly knew him but there was something very honest about him.
"Good deal then. I've not been able to sail for some time and I20sure miss it. I did however notice that my baggage is on board and my new friend , the lost puppy. I'll take it we'll be gone for some time. At this point I'm at your mercy." she grinned "Will there be anyone else joining us?"
"Of course we couldn't leave pup behind, he'd be scared and lonely. As for
the bags, we're not too sure how long we'll be out, it depends on the weather
and our mood," Beej replied, smiling at her friend.
"At this moment, Miss Bridgid, we are not expecting any others to join us, but I
dare say they can contact us on that infernal machine if they change their minds
after we leave port," Jack added.
Beej grinned at the confused look on B's face. "Don't worry, Jack means the ship
to shore radio. We had it fitted to comply with regulations. He still thinks
it's an abomination to have such an article on board Surprise."
"That abomination saved my bacon once when I was sailing solo just south of the Orinoco but I'll save that story for another time. Right now I think you're about to get another passenger." she nudges her head toward the docks where a ver y interesting man strode toward the ship. "Who might that be by the way?" she asked
The stunning man stopped at the bottom of the gangway. He stood tall and proud
as he called up to the captain.
"Permission to come aboard sir."
Beej and Jack both turned towards the voice and Beej smiled as Jack let go of
her hand and stood even straighter than normal, if that were possible. Pulling
at the front of his waistcoat to make sure he was ship shape, he strode to the
larboard (he refused to call it port) rail and looked down.
"General. it would be my honour, sir," Jack replied with a nod of his head. "It
is more than a pleasure to have you along on our little cruise."
Meanwhile, Beej was letting Bridgid in on who the new arrival was. "That's
Maximus, what a lovely surprise; I had no idea he was going to join our little
adventure.
B stood there struck dumb, a VERY unusual state for her to be in. Could Beej
mean THE Maximus...as in General Maximus...the general who became a slave, the
slave who became a gladiator, the gladiator who defied an Empire (or was that
just defiance of an Emperor - she thought to herself). Holy cow, this was a
wonderful start to her trip without a doubt.
Bridgid looked at the magnificent man as he boarded the ship. He was truly one fine looking bloke but with a turn of her head her eyes met Bud's and she felt her heart flutter. He had her heart but he didn't know it yet. It was something she planned on keeping to herself too. He didn't seem to have much interest in her anyway. He was just doing a favor to Beej by carting her around and bringing her here.
Heat rose in her cheeks as the big man smiled at her. he didn't seem to be the type to smile much and she felt rather gifted to be given one.
Scooping up the pup, she waited in line to greet the new passenger, clearing her mind of the thoughts she had about Bud White.
Arriving on the deck, Maximus dipped his head to Jack and offered his
hand. "Captain Aubrey. It is my honor to be welcomed aboard for this long
overdue voyage. I must tell you that there are others who will join us. I've
head rumblings, sir. Rumblings that cannot be ignored."
Jack took his hand and shook it warmly. "Rumblings, you say, General? Well, we
have room to spare, but time is of the essence.20The tide will shortly be
against us and we dare not tarry. I will get Joanne to man that infernal machine
to enable anyone who wishes to seek passage with us to make themselves known.
There is anchorage around the head where we can be reached by a small vessel."
Before Maximus could comment, the sound of boots on the jetty could be
heard. Both men looked up to see who was running towards the ship.
"Captain...Captain Aubrey, sir...wait, please!" It was young Jeff Mitchell. He
had a bulging sports bag in one hand, and a worried expression on his face.
"Permission to come aboard, Captain?"
"Permission granted, Jeffrey. Come aboard and stow your gear. We leave with the
tide."