Advent Calendar--Day 16--Two Bells
TITLE: Two Bells
AUTHOR: Ashley-Pitt
PAIRING: Jack Aubrey/ Stephen Maturin
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 550
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters nor am I making any money from them. I borrow them once in a while, but put them away tidily.
WARNING: None
SUMMARY: Early one morning on deck.....
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Not beta’d so all the misplaced commas are my bad.
Jack smiled and placed a large spoonful of soused hog face in his mouth when suddenly…
He was wide awake. He looked about. He was in his own cot and alas had only been dreaming.
But something was amiss. He cocked his head and listened. No, there were no hails of "Sail ho!”
He lay very still. No, the barkie was still on the same course; the wind neither veering or backing; building or slacking.
But something was amiss. He yawned and reached out stretching hugely. His arms felt nothing. Where was Stephen? That was what was amiss. Up until slightly before Jack’s lovely dream ended, Stephen had been curled up next to him.
Jack groaned and heaved himself from his cot. He walked over to Stephen’s small sleeping cabin. His great bare feet slapping largely on the deck.
He peered into the berth. Stephen was not there. Jack was not overly concerned. Stephen frequently visited his patients or examined his insects at any hour of the night or day.
Jack sighed. He pulled on his breeches and slipped his feet into his shoes. Since he was awake, he might just take some air. He took his great coat from its peg by the door and made his way up on deck.
The night was crystal clear and sky was ablaze with hundreds of stars. Jacks breath puffed out in billowing clouds as he made his way aft to the taffrail.
He was still several feet away when without turning Stephen said, “Hello Jack.”
Jack stood behind Stephen and opened his coat. Stephen sunk gratefully in the bulky warmth.
“I woke and you wasn’t beside me,” Jack said. “Is something amiss?”
Stephen said quietly, “ I was sleeping ever so wonderfully nestled beside you. I awoke and gazed at you. You had the sweetest smile on your face and you looked so beautiful that I should have been happy. But instead I was filled with a sudden unexplainable dread. A dread and fear that I would lose you soon, to a cannon shot in a battle, or a falling spar in a tempest or any of a host of malicious events. So I came on deck to clear my mind by trying to discern where the stars in the sky meet those in the sea.”
Jack smiled and moved closer. He wrapped his arms around Stephen and said. “As far as my last reckoning we are the only ship armed or unarmed for four hundred miles. I examined the glass before I came on deck and I can assure you that there will be no storms in the near future. And I doubt that there are any mystical sea creatures that will swallow me whole, if I perchance happened to fall overboard.”
Stephen sighed and said, “I realize that the fears are totally ungrounded...”
Jack leaned in and kissed Stephen’s neck. “I swear to you that for as long as I live I will do everything in my power to never leave you.”
Stephen pushed further into Jack’s embrace. After a few minutes he asked, “Jack, what is the time?”
Jack replied, “It has just gone two bells in the middle watch.”
“Ah, then it is the morrow. Happy Christmas, Jack.”
“Happy Christmas, Stephen.”
AUTHOR: Ashley-Pitt
PAIRING: Jack Aubrey/ Stephen Maturin
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 550
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters nor am I making any money from them. I borrow them once in a while, but put them away tidily.
WARNING: None
SUMMARY: Early one morning on deck.....
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Not beta’d so all the misplaced commas are my bad.
Jack smiled and placed a large spoonful of soused hog face in his mouth when suddenly…
He was wide awake. He looked about. He was in his own cot and alas had only been dreaming.
But something was amiss. He cocked his head and listened. No, there were no hails of "Sail ho!”
He lay very still. No, the barkie was still on the same course; the wind neither veering or backing; building or slacking.
But something was amiss. He yawned and reached out stretching hugely. His arms felt nothing. Where was Stephen? That was what was amiss. Up until slightly before Jack’s lovely dream ended, Stephen had been curled up next to him.
Jack groaned and heaved himself from his cot. He walked over to Stephen’s small sleeping cabin. His great bare feet slapping largely on the deck.
He peered into the berth. Stephen was not there. Jack was not overly concerned. Stephen frequently visited his patients or examined his insects at any hour of the night or day.
Jack sighed. He pulled on his breeches and slipped his feet into his shoes. Since he was awake, he might just take some air. He took his great coat from its peg by the door and made his way up on deck.
The night was crystal clear and sky was ablaze with hundreds of stars. Jacks breath puffed out in billowing clouds as he made his way aft to the taffrail.
He was still several feet away when without turning Stephen said, “Hello Jack.”
Jack stood behind Stephen and opened his coat. Stephen sunk gratefully in the bulky warmth.
“I woke and you wasn’t beside me,” Jack said. “Is something amiss?”
Stephen said quietly, “ I was sleeping ever so wonderfully nestled beside you. I awoke and gazed at you. You had the sweetest smile on your face and you looked so beautiful that I should have been happy. But instead I was filled with a sudden unexplainable dread. A dread and fear that I would lose you soon, to a cannon shot in a battle, or a falling spar in a tempest or any of a host of malicious events. So I came on deck to clear my mind by trying to discern where the stars in the sky meet those in the sea.”
Jack smiled and moved closer. He wrapped his arms around Stephen and said. “As far as my last reckoning we are the only ship armed or unarmed for four hundred miles. I examined the glass before I came on deck and I can assure you that there will be no storms in the near future. And I doubt that there are any mystical sea creatures that will swallow me whole, if I perchance happened to fall overboard.”
Stephen sighed and said, “I realize that the fears are totally ungrounded...”
Jack leaned in and kissed Stephen’s neck. “I swear to you that for as long as I live I will do everything in my power to never leave you.”
Stephen pushed further into Jack’s embrace. After a few minutes he asked, “Jack, what is the time?”
Jack replied, “It has just gone two bells in the middle watch.”
“Ah, then it is the morrow. Happy Christmas, Jack.”
“Happy Christmas, Stephen.”