Gulls swirled around the smoke stacks of the mighty ship at dock.

Phoebe smiled as she stepped down from her carriage.

She marveled as she looked up at the giant cruise ship. It was truly a sight to behold.

The Noahtic, ready to embark on its maiden voyage.

As Phoebe walked towards the boarding line, she bumbed into someone, having been so focused on the beauty of the ship in front of her.

"Oh! I apologize! I wasn't watching where I was going. Please forgive me," Phoebe apologized profusely as she bowed, feeling ashamed of herself.

The man looked at her and gave a warm smile. "It's really not a problem at all. There's no need to apologize."

Phoebe stood up straight with a smile. "I was just so entranced by the ship, I didn't see you there in front of me."

"Like I said, it is no trouble at all. I hope you enjoy your journey," the man said as he tipped his hat to her.

"William? Who is- oh, Miss Hunt. It is a pleasure to see you again," a familiar voice came from the side.

Phoebe turned to see Albert Moriarty standing there with a warm smile on his face.

"Albert, I wasn't expecting to see you here. I assume you are here to see the ballet tomorrow night?" Phoebe guessed as she smiled at the brown haired lord.

Albert hummed as he nodded. "You have surmised correctly, and I would say that you are here for that very reason as well?"

Phoebe laughed lightly as she quickly nodded her head. "Indeed. I am extremely excited to see the performance."

"So, I am to assume you two are well acquainted already?" the blonde man, William, questioned as he looked between the two.

Albert turned his gaze to his brother, giving him a warm smile. "Yes. Miss Hunt and I met a long time ago and have occasionally crossed paths since. Her father is Lord Hunt."

William's eyes widened. He had felt like he had met this woman before somewhere, but now it made sense. She had visited him and the other children of the orphanage countless times. He hoped she would not recognize him as such, wishing to keep his cover as the surviving William Moriarty.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hunt. My name is William Moriarty, Albert's younger brother," the blonde introduced as he held out a hand.

Phoebe gave him her hand which he raised, gently pressing his lips to her knuckles. "The pleasure is all mine, sir. And please, call me Phoebe. There is no need to be so formal."

"If you insist. In that case, you may call me William," he replied with a genuine smile.

"I hate to cut this meeting short, however I do believe we should all be heading to board the ship," Albert interjected as he motioned to the ship that was still loading passengers.

Phoebe looked to the ship and gave a nod of agreement. "Yes, let's."

The three nobles made their way onto the ship and went their seperate ways.

Phoebe walked towards the room she had bought for her time on the ship. As she trailed through the ship, she admired the ever existing beauty of the architecture.

She unlocked her suite and smiled as she put her bags down. It was quite a big room for her to have by herself, but she didn't mind it all that much.

She slipped off her dress and exchanged it for a differnt, more elegant style dress, planning on attending the dance that was being help after dinner.

She secured the bustle around her back after tightening her corset. She grabbed her pair of creme colored boots, tying them tight around her ankles. She slipped on her petticoat before pulling the skirt of her dress over her head. She tied the back sash to tighten the skirt around her waist securely.

After situating the skirt properly, Phoebe adjusted the bodice of the dress and then tightened the laces around her back. She checked the back in the mirror before tying it tight.

She spun in the mirror and smiled to herself. "Perfect."

She grabbed her clutch and made her way to the dining room where she had a table reserved for her.

Walking into the dining area, she saw a little girl run into a tall blonde man, accidently spilling her drink.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Enders," the mother of the young girl apologized with a polite bow of her head.

Phoebe walked past as Lord Enders leaned down to whisper in the young girl's ear. She didn't hear what he had said, but the girl burst into tears and run to her mother which broke Phoebe's heart.

She approached the mother who was consoling her daughter.

"Is she alright?" Phoebe asked gently as she knelt down beside the two.

The mother sighed and nodded. "I'm sure she'll be okay. I don't wish to take up any of your time, ma'am."

"Oh, please. It is no trouble at all. Here, would you like to see a magic trick?" Phoebe offered the young girl who sniffed as she looked over.

She nodded her little head and hummed.

Phoebe held out her hands before reaching to push the girls hair behind her ear. When she pulled her hand back, she had a shilling in between her fingers.

The little girl gasped as Phoebe held out the coin for her to take.

"How did you do that?!" The young girl squeaked in absolute awe as she took the coin.

Phoebe giggled and wiggled her fingers. "Magic."

She stood up and watched as the girl left with her mother who thanked her before leaving.

"That was quite the spectacle," a voice came from behind Phoebe.

She turned to see William standing there with a smile on his face.

"Oh, it was really nothing. I don't like seeing anyone upset. Especially adorable little children. My father taught me that not everyone is as fortunate as us so it is our duty as nobles to give back to those who don't have the same luxuries," Phoebe replied as she returned the smile he was giving her.

William hummed as he nodded. "You're father raised you well. I don't know many nobles children that were raise with the same principals as you."

"I thank you, sir, but really, it is only right as we are all people," Phoebe brushed off his words.

"How would you like to join me for dinner?" William asked as he offered a hand to her.

Phoebe took his hand graciously. "I would love to. I already have a table under reservation if you would like to sit by the window."

"That would be wonderful."

The two nobles made their way to the table Phoebe had reserved and they ordered their dinner.

As William ate the steak he had ordered, he looked Phoebe up and down. "So, Albert seems to think very highly of you and I can now see why. The way you handled that child was incredible."

Phoebe swallowed a bite before laughing. "I'm glad that Albert sees me that way. I think he is quite the gentleman himself."

"Though, I do wonder where you learned sleight of hand like that. The timing was impeccable and for even myself who knows the trick, it truly looked like magic," William admitted as he rested his hands at the edge of the table.

Phoebe sighed softly as she smiled at the memory. "I had a friend when I was younger. Well, we weren't really friends, but he thought me a bunch of things like self defense, the sleight of hand, how to pick a lock, and I picked up on some of his deductive abilities."

"You seem to be quite fond of this person," William noted as he saw the longing look in her eyes.

Fiddling with her fingers, the brunette girl nodded. "I was, though I haven't seen him in almost nine years. I was never important to him so it doesn't surprise me that he forgot about me. I was always a nuisance."

"I'm quite sure you could never be a nuisance," William denied as he looked at her as though she was crazy.

Phoebe laughed lightly as she thought back to her childhood. "Oh, no. I definitely was. I always wanted him to teach me things or spend time with him. I used to always tell him that I had no interest on befriending someone who had no interest in me, but truth be told, I wanted nothing more than for him to call me his friend, even once."

"Friends are important in childhood development," William stated after taking another bite of his food.

"Yeah, well he didn't believe so. Or more like, he never cared. He refused to make friends. It doesn't matter much to me now. I've moved on with my life as I'm sure he has with his," Phoebe brushed it off, feeling saddened by the thought of Sherlock.

She still thought about him all the time. She had sent many letters to him, only to recieve no reply. She had gone to see his parents after a few years to see if maybe she could see Sherlock or Mycroft again, but they had moved out of their home by then. After many unsucessful attempts at trying to find Sherlock, she had given up, figuring that if he really cared enough to see her again he would have come to her manor of his own volition.

She thought about the last thing he had ever said to her.

'I'll miss you too, Phee. I won't forget about you. I promise.'

A load of horseshit.

"I apologize for pressing into any boundaries. It was not my intent," William remorsed as he bent his head forward slightly.

Phoebe waved a hand lightly as she smiled at the blonde man sitting across from her. "Please, I indulged in your interest and it is of no fault of yours for being curious. Now, lets eat this delicious food. It's not every day that you get to eat dinner on a ship."

William chuckled lightly and nodded, finding her company quite pleasant.

The two continued to enjoy their dinner, making small talk every once in a while, comfortable with each other's prescence.

🔎

After a night of dancing and some drinking, Phoebe walked to her room.

She hummed a gentle tune to herself as she unlocked the door to her suite, swaying a bit to her own melody.

She removed her dress, sighing in relief at the feeling of all the weight being removed before she slipped on her nightgown, going out to the balcony to watch over the sea on the moonless night.

She leaned against the edge and closed her eyes.

'Don't forget about me, Sherly.'

Tears pricked her eyes as she pictured Sherlock entering the carriage to take him away to university, out of her life.

She didn't understand why she was still upset about it, but regardless of why, she felt almost betrayed.

Though she blamed herself for being the reason Sherlock didn't want to see her again.

"Just one more time," Phoebe murmured to herself. "I just want to see you one more time, clever boy."

🔎

Everyone on board the Noahtic was in a frenzy.

It was time for the world's first shipborn ballet to commence.

Phoebe was excited to see the performance, having gotten a first row seat to have a close up, even though Albert had offered to let her sit in a box with him. She had respectfully declined the offer, having been looking forward to her close seating.

She finished doing her hair up into the two braided buns she usually kept it in, her bright smile never once leaving her face.

She inspected her outfit and hair with a twirl in the mirror before she left her room, swiftly making her way to the auditorium where the ballet was to be performed.

She took her seat and watched in anticipation, waiting for the curtains to open.

After a short introduction, the first act began and Phoebe was impressed by the smooth movement of each leap, arabesque, and pivot. However, her focus remained mainly on the beauty of the music flowing around her.

As the first half of the stunning performance came to a close, Phoebe clapped her hands together furiously along with the rest of the audience members.

A man came up and sat in the empty seat beside her to which she smiled politely.

"Are you enjoying the show, sir?" Phoebe asked warmly as she rested her hands in her lap.

The man chuckled lightly as he bobbed his head. "I very much am, Miss. And you?"

"Dancing isn't really my passion, however it is quite impressive to see the way the dancers move. I came because I was most intrigued by the musicians I heard were going to be performing with the ballet," Phoebe admitted as she motioned to the box where the orchestra was preparing for the second act.

She heard a man shouting behind her but she paid it no mind.

"Ah, a musical enthusiast. I can respect your interest. The music does create a beautiful field for dancers. Without the emotion of the music, dancers would not have a specific emotion or story to portay," the gentleman replied and she nodded quickly. "The two complement each other perfectly."

Before Phoebe could continue the conversation, the orchestra began their starting pitches.

She quickly turned her attention up to the stage as the curtains were pulled back. The lead dancer sashayed her way onto the stage as she began the number.

Phoebe noticed some shouting and the dancer seemed to pause before two men were raised up onto the stage.

The blonde man that Phoebe had seen in the dining hall the previous night had a knife raised as he was crouched over a man who was seemingly dead on the floor.

The lead ballerina let out a piercing scream. "He just killed that man!"

The blonde man who Phoebe was now recognizing as the Count Blitz Enders, looked out at the crowd in shock. "No, he was already dead, though. And I was making sure."

"He stabbed the pour soul in cold blood!" A man in the back cried out in horror.

"It isn't part of the show! This is real!" Someone from the orchestra shouted.

"What a monster!"

"He killed him right there on stage?"

"Wait. Unless I'm mistaken, is that not Lord Blitz Enders?" Phoebe heard what sounded like Albert's voice shouting in the crowd.

"It is!"

"It can't be!"

"But he's an aristocrat."

People were in shock at what was transpiring before them all as people called out their disbelief.

"Human life, you say?" Enders began as a cold, heartless look crossed through his eyes while he stood up. "Come now. Don't make me laugh! You think you've witnessed the murder of a commoner? Fools! I can do what I please with these beasts!"

Everyone in the crowd was taken aback and Phoebe pressed herself back further into her seat as Enders stepped closer to the edge of the stage.

"This is Noah's Ark vessel for the chosen! If you're not of noble blood, you're no better than livestock!" Enders screamed with pure hatred. "And I have every right to decide whether you live or die by my hands!"

"He's gone completely mad!" The man beside Phoebe started before shouting, "no matter what you call it, you've still committed murder!"

"You hypocritical cad! You've always looked down on the peasants, the same as me, and don't pretend otherwise!" Enders accused as he glared down at the man.

This made the man angry, to be accused of being like a murderer was not something he was going to take lightly. "Don't you dare compare me to yourself! I'm not some heartless killer!"

"You traitor!" Enders roared out as he leapt at the man.

Phoebe stood to stop the man from being harmed when suddenly a new man came flying in, quickly spinning on his hands to kick Enders away from the innocent nobleman.

Taking this as an opening, Phoebe then rushed up the stage, kneeling beside the man who had been stabbed, grabbing his wrist to check for a pulse, coming up with nothing.

As the ship security began chasing Enders, the man who had intervened stood up, looking at the body on the stage, joining Phoebe.

He hummed in thought as he grabbed the chin of the man, pulling his mouth open.

"He's definitely dead. Nothing can really be done," Phoebe spoke as she sat back on her heels.

"So it would seem," the man replied lowly as he lifted the dead man's arm and bent his finger, humming in interest. "Now that's interesting."

"What's so interesting?" Phoebe questioned as she finally looked up at the man, meeting his eyes.

Her entire body froze, her mind coming to a complete halt after having a million thoughts rush through it all at once.

"Sherly?"