Ocean Blue Ch. 05

*Author's Note* Thank you to everybody who has been so patient with the writing of this story. After many months of travel and some serious writer's block, I finally found the time to finish this chapter. Hope you enjoy. :)

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The smell of food and someone moving around brought Katherine out of her slumber. The cabin was warm as she slowly surfaced from her sleep, the feel of a blanket tucked around her made her smile at a distant memory, long since locked away in her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, yawning and turning on her side to see Albert hurrying around the cabin.

"Good evening, le petite." Albert said, smiling at her as he lit the lanterns around the room as the sun slowly set on the ocean, brightening the cabin with an orange glow.

"Le petite? Je suis le meme age que vous." Katherine said softly, gaining a booming laugh from Albert as he looked at her in surprise.

"Vous parlez fancais?" He asked, a huge smile crossing his face

"A little." She whispered softly, sitting up in the bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, still looking at him with a sense of wariness.

She looked so innocent sitting there rubbing at her eyes, her skin still flushed with sleep and her hair tousled into a million red curls, that it made Albert's heart sink with the thought of what he had done. With a sheepish look, he set the wick he was using down on the desk and walked over towards her, lifting her chin to look into her eyes.

"I am truly sorry." He whispered, his eyes saddened as he looked at the bruise on her cheek.

"Don't think anything of it." She said, looking at him with complete trust in her eyes, something that confused Albert. "It's not the first time I've ever taken a hit and I'm sure it won't be my last." She said softly as he released her chin.

"Never from me. You can count on that." He said with a smile as he quickly moved from the bed back over to the table, looking around everything once more with a critical eye.

Katherine stood up and stretched, slowly making her way over to the bank of windows and took a moment to take in the beauty of the sunset on the ocean. The water sparkled with a million fragments of orange light and the beams that streamed through the window quickly warmed her skin. A smile curled the corners of her mouth as she closed her eyes and silently took in the warmth.

"Everything seems to be in order. Except you, of course." Albert said from behind her.

She turned at that, looking at him in confusion. "Except for me? What do you mean by that?" She asked as he made his way over towards Philip's desk chair and held up the gown of red silk.

Katherine's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She had never seen something so beautiful in her life and it made her wonder where he had acquired such a precious gown.

"I'll help you to dress." Albert said with a smile as he draped the gown over the back of the chair again, standing in the middle of the room with his hands planted firmly on his hips as he watched her intently. "Well?" He asked as she stood still, not moving an inch.

Katherine was taken back by his request, unsure of what he wanted at first exactly. It was then that reality hit her hard and she found herself laughing nervously, an embarrassing trait of hers that always came out when she was put in an awkward situation. She reached up and placed a hand against her throat, her eyes wide in surprise.

"You want me to...?" She trailed off, as a smile creased his face and he nodded slowly.

"Eef eet puts you at ease, you have nothing on your body that I haven't seen before." He said with a great laugh as he walked closer to her, turning her by a shoulder to get at the ties on her side. "Relax. I won't hurt you." He whispered in her ear as he got to work pulling her old gown off.

Katherine stood stiffly as he finished, the fabric pooling at her feet, leaving her in her corset and chemise as she felt Albert begin to pull at the stays. As the awful contraption fell from her body, she took in a deep, welcome breath, her lungs finally free. She saw Albert laugh at that as he picked up the garments and took them over to a trunk, packing them away. She found herself smiling as well, taking deep breaths as she marveled at the feeling.

"Nice, non?" He asked with a smile as he turned back to look at her, nodding with his head at her chemise.

"I'm not taking this off in front of you." She said with a nervous laugh as her hands reached up to grip the neckline of the garment.

"Oh, le petite, but look at zee beautiful gown!" He exclaimed, picking up the silk dress again and holding it out in the lamplight. "Eet doesn't deserve to be lain on top of something so common. Eet deserves the best...just like you." He stated, his lower lip sticking out slightly in a pout.

She sighed, shaking her head slightly as she could feel her cheeks heat up to a bright red as she slowly started to pull the chemise off, gripping the fabric to her chest as she pulled it over her head.

Albert smiled at her, his eyes tracing the curves of her body in the dim light. God, she's beautiful. He thought to himself as he traced her pale skin, the peek of a smooth hip and up her delicate ribcage. The blush had spread down her neck to the top of her small, yet shapely breasts, a sight that made Albert stop for a moment. There was such innocence in everything about her, it was hard to believe that she was the same girl from the legend.

"You're beautiful." He whispered as he reached for the new linen chemise, holding it out for her as he took the old one from her hands, marveling at the pale smoothness of her skin as he caught a fleeting glimpse at her entire body.

"Thank you." She said softly as she blushed deeper, the red creeping down her body and heating her skin up so much that Katherine swore he would feel the fire coming off her body.

"You would have had zee gentlemen lined up around zee block eef you were working in gay Paree." He said as he turned and packed away the chemise, turning around to see her wearing the new one, the fine linen complimenting her perfect hourglass figure.

"Oh, well, remind me to sign up next time I am in France." She said, running her hands over the cloth as a smile crossed her lips.

Albert just laughed and shook his head, grabbing the new corset and wrapping it around her, lacing the delicate red ribbon through the hooks and eyes before telling her to take a deep breath and he began to tighten. Katherine held her hair up as Albert expertly tightened the stays on the corset, her stomach getting smaller and smaller with each tug.

"You know, I think you missed your true calling in life." She tried to joke as the pressure became more and more intense, causing her to gasp for air. "How is it that you know how to do this?" She ask, letting out a groan when he tugged one last time, tying it off and turning her to look at his handy work.

He laughed softly as he held out the stockings and garters to her, watching as she daintily stepped into them, pulling the silk up her legs and securing the garters in place before he helped her into the petticoats. "My mother was a grand Madame." He said, smiling at her expression.

"You mother was a..."

"Oui." He said, tying on the last petticoat before helping her pull on the red silk dress, careful lying the lace ribbons on the bodice. "She worked in a brothel in Paris for a very long time until zee lady that ran eet fell ill. She soon found herself running zee house. She met my father, who ees English, and zee rest ees history."

"So, you came to the sea?" She asked, watching his hands as he expertly tied the ribbons before taking a step back and admiring his handiwork.

"Not by choice." He said, holding out his hand to her as he guided her to sit in Philip's chair, combing out her hair with a silver handled brush. "Zee Madame saw eet feet to send me to look for my father. And I found him...with a new wife and a petite fille. He wanted nothing to do with a bastard son, but he still found me work on a merchant sheep. Madame was not pleased when she found out, but she was too sick to support me, so I fell into zee ocean life."

He was amazed at how much of his story he was telling Katherine. The only other person that knew this much about him was Philip, and it had taken almost two years to get the entire story out of him. Katherine listened silently as he brushed and styled her hair, expertly pulling her curls on top of her head, pinning each until he was satisfied.

"And what about you?" He asked as he walked to the front of the desk, sitting down and watching her intently.

She looked at him for a moment, her blue eyes dimming for a moment. "You already know my story."

"Non. I know part of your story. Legend ees just that...legend. You never know what ees true and what eesn't." He watched as she nodded and then relaxed back into the chair, her eyes telling him to continue. "Tell me....where were you born?" He asked the simple question first.

"In the middle of the ocean. They were heading back for England because my mother was heavy with child, but they didn't make it." She said, smiling slightly.

Albert laughed at that, watching as she smiled wider.

"What happened to your mother?" He asked softly.

"She died when I was very young." Katherine said softly, bowing her head to look down at the table. "She got sick one day and I remember her laying in bed for a very long time. One day, I woke up and she was gone and my father was sad. It was the only time that I ever saw him cry."

"I am very sorry."

"Things started to go bad after that. The crew started to question his command. He was becoming withdrawn from everything, cutting himself off from friends and focusing on his family instead of his crew. It took many years for that powder keg to blow up in his face, but when it finally did, it left me all alone with a million questions to answer. I was all alone with a dark figure looming over me like the devil himself."

Albert nodded, knowing very well what that feeling was like. To be all alone in the world and frightened, unsure about your future. He felt for Katherine, a tender kind of affection that made him thoroughly regret his earlier actions.

"What do you dream of?" He asked as he stood up, walking behind her and taking out the repaired necklace from his pocket.

"Why do you want to know that?" She asked, watching as he put the necklace around her neck and secured it in place before leaning against the desk to look down at her.

"Because our dreams tell us more about ourselves then you could ever eemagine."

Katherine looked at him for a moment, a smile crossing her face as her cheeks heated up to a pale red. He watched her carefully as she reached up, taking the necklace in her hand and staring at the pendent with a type of tenderness that nearly broke his heart. He could kill Philip in this moment for hurting this woman, for showing her kindness and then taking it away, just as many men had probably done before. He was taken out of his reverie as she softly started to speak.

"I dream of finding home. A house of my own with a family. Not a pretend home that I can make, but real. Filled with my children and on some nights, when I feel lonely, I can close my eyes and see my father and mother there as well." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as a sad look came over her eyes. "It's just a silly dream, though." She whispered.

"One that I have had many times before as well." Albert whispered back.

Katherine looked up at him in surprise, her eyes widening slightly as he laughed and reached out to stroke her cheek. His eyes were soft, almost nostalgic as he crouched down beside her, his face coming level with hers. His gaze was so intense, so demanding that Katherine found herself looking away, unable to meet those kind hazel eyes.

"There ees something that they will never understand about us. Philippe, zee rest of zee crew, Lady Anne...they will never understand what eet means to be alone like we do. My dream ees to find a wife and have children to fill zhis void in my life." He watched her eyes intently as he cupped her chin, raising her eyes to meet his. "Eet ees a bond zhat we have."

"What do you want from me?" She asked softly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Zee same thing zhat I want from you. Protection. Protection from zhat cruel world out there. I want to be your friend, Katherine, and I swear zhat nothing will happen to you, because I protect my friends from danger."

Katherine smiled at him, tears welling up in her eyes as he spoke those words. For the first time in her life, she was beginning to feel that she finally had a person that she could call friend. All of the fear and hesitation that she had towards the man in front of her slowly melted away, and she could finally see him for the kind soul that he really was.

"I would be honored to call you friend." She said with a smile.

Albert found himself standing and giving her a bow before taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, a smile shared between the two of them as a knock at the door brought them both back to the present.

"Zee master of zee house is here." Albert said with a sarcastic laugh as he straightened up and walk to the door.

"Do I really have to see him?" Katherine asked with an angered sigh as Albert smiled at her and opened the door, letting Philip into the cabin.

"I shall leave you two alone." He announced as he brushed past his friend. "Someone has to run zhis sheep!" He shouted as he closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone.

Philip stood staring at her, watching as the flickering candles cast shadows over the red silk, causing it to shimmer as if it were sown with a million crystals. Her beauty was exquisite with her hair gently pulled back from her face, her skin so nicely complimented by the red hue that it seemed to glow. He smiled to himself as he saw the necklace back around her neck, almost as if it belonged there all along. It was her eyes that caught him off guard, the look of anger and sadness making him take a step back as he saw the hard look upon her face. It made him jerk back slightly, almost as if he had been burned.

"You...you look gorgeous." He stammered, watching as she stared at him for a long moment before turning her gaze to the polished wooden desk, letting her fingertips trace circles over it.

"Thank you for the gown." She said softly, not even bothering to look up as she watched her fingers trace over the dark wood.

"Anything for the beauty." He said with a smile.

It instantly died on his lips as she raised her fierce eyes to glare at him once more. If he could have died by a look alone, he would have dropped dead the moment that he walked into the room. He cleared his throat nervously as he stepped across the small room to a cabinet, pulling out a glass and his brandy decanter. He turned to offer her some, but was stopped short by that glare again.

"Right." He whispered to himself, licking his suddenly dry lips as he turned his back to her as he sighed and poured more than his usual amount into the glass before turning back to look at her again.

Philip stared at her from across the room, the look from her blue eyes chilling him to the bone as he poured brandy into his glass, swirling it as he turned his back to her, staring out the window at the fading light. Storm clouds were gathering in the distance, a sickly pale green covering the skin as a low rumble of thunder echoed over the waves.

This is going to be a long night, he thought to himself as he took a deep draw from the glass. It was then that he noticed the table set out with heaps of food upon it.

"Dinner awaits." He said quickly, motioning with his hand to the banquet before them.

"I see that." She said simply as she stood up from the desk, walking towards the table with a rustle of silk.

Philip was quick across the cabin, setting his glass down on the table as he pulled out her seat for her, offering her a smile that wasn't returned. She sat down, smoothing out the skirts of the gown as she looked at the food before her. She could never eat this much in all of her life, nor did she want to this evening. Just being around Philip caused all of those thoughts of anger and rage to well in up in her stomach and her appetite was suddenly gone.

"Albert did well." Philip commented, trying anything to make small talk as he took his seat across from her.

"Albert seems to be the only kind, level headed individual on this ship." Katherine quipped, her voice laced with barely controlled anger.

"Now, that's not fair, beauty." Philip stated, grabbing for food in a haste, completely out of nervousness as he began to eat.

"No, what's not fair is you lying to me."

Philip stopped at that, gulping down the food in his mouth as he raised his eyes to meet hers. There was a challenge in those blue depths, so fierce that he actually felt a stab of fear. He reached for his glass, taking another long draw before speaking.

"When have I lied to you?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly as he cleared his throat again.

"You're lying to me and yourself right now." She answered, causing him to look at her accusingly.

"And what is this big lie?" He asked, reaching for a piece of bread and chewing on it quickly.

"That you love me, yet you won't admit it."

Philip choked, reaching quickly for his glass and drinking until he could speak again. He looked up at her, his eyes searching her face. It was almost as if she were reading his mind...but how did she know? He thought that he had done a pretty good job in hiding his emotions.

"The dream of a desperate woman." He challenged.

"The longing of a manic." Katherine countered. "Come off your high horse. Everyone can see it!" She shouted. "The way that you look at me. The longing in your eyes when you think of handing me over. I can see it in them right now."

"It's called 'you're trying my patience'." He growled angrily.

Katherine laughed at that, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't stand to think of losing someone else, can you? It's tearing you up inside. It's why you're acting like you have a stick shoved up your ..."

"Enough!" He shouted, pounding his fist against the table as he stood from his chair, towering over her. "I invite you to a nice meal. Least you can do is act civilized."

Katherine huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at him for a moment before turning her gaze to the table before her. Philip stood there for a few moments, watching her before settling back down and resuming his meal. The silence seemed to stretch on forever before she finally took a deep breath to speak, stopping herself a few times before raising her eyes too look at him. They held such sorrow that it made a lump form in his throat.

"Sometimes life throws you the unexpected and you try it into something that is more bearable than what you had been living." Katherine said, looking up at Philip as he stopped mid-bite, his green eyes looking at her in a new light. "I never asked for any of this; it was thrust upon me. I was a little girl who was confused and sad but life had something in store for me. And I guess now I can appreciate that more and more."

"What does life have in store for you?" He asked, intrigued as Katherine raised her eyes from the table to look at him.

"I haven't figured that out yet." She said, looking at him with almost a pleading glace before sitting back in her chair with a sigh.

"Don't give me that look." He begged, setting his hand on the table with a thud. "Don't make me out to be the villain in this." He voice practically begged, something in him breaking as she laughed bitterly.

"Well, is that not what you are, Philip?" She asked with a shrug. "You have a choice to be the hero and save my life and yet you're going to throw it away for what? Money?"