"Well you have been able to make some progress." Paul said as he looked at Weskham as they chatted through the videoconference.

"Indeed. And most of the merchants who had lost their equipment, were quite excited to learn that they would be able to get it back as soon as we're done with the case. And I found it interesting that it appears that some of the equipment belongs to the Atlantis as well." Korn was saying as he looked at Paul.

"Really?" Paul's asked as he relaxed back in his chair. "How are you sure that its theirs?"

"Well, because we found what appears to be some very expensive underwater research equipment. And the only underwater research vessel in these waters is the Atlantis." Weskham replied back with a slight smile.

Paul slightly laughed. "You just might be right. I'll be sure to ask Bob if he had had any of his equipment taken back then and I'll let you know." Paul answered.

"Please do." Korn returned. "So how have you and (y/n) been handling the ship? Have you had any problems getting use to it?"

"Not to the ship itself. She has been able to handle the trip very well in that aspect. Now the other areas, on the other hand, have caused a few problems though." Paul replied as he sat back up and crossed his arms as he leaned forward on his makeshift desk. "In fact (Y/n) could really use Ignis' help right now with that."

"How so?" Korn asked as he gave Paul a curious look.

"Well (y/n) was physically attacked by one of the male crew members last night." Paul said as he looked down as he felt his body start to tense up as he tried to keep his temper under control. "He apparently had her pinned up against the bulkhead. Doc told me that he dosen't think that he penetrate her or anything. But he had said that her shirt was torn open and her pants were undone. And both had been opened by force."

"Wait a minute?" Weskham asked as he looked at Paul in shock. "Someone tried to rape her?"

"It would appear so." Paul said as he started to clench his teeth.

"Is she okay? He didn't hurt her did he?" Korn asked as he sat up and looked at Paul in shock.

"Physical wound wise, it wasn't anything too severe. But he had done a number on her neck. She received a few puncture wounds from his teeth where he bite into her skin. He had also split her forehead open some how." Paul said as he started to struggle with keeping his temper under control.

Paul couldn't help but to recall seeing you on the bed in medical. Your forehead bleeding and numerous marks and bruises on your neck. He had to take a take a deep breath to keep from growling. And even then he still slightly grunted as he remembered the somewhat satisfying blow that he had delivered to Keith's face with his fist. Which had knocked Keith out cold with one blow.

"Dear gods." Korn said in shock as he watched Paul drop his head as he swallowed hard.

"But those aren't the wounds that I'm worried about." Paul said in a quieter tone.

"She's freezing up again isn't she?" Korn asked as he watched Paul carefully.

"Unfortunately." Paul returned as he glanced off to the side. "And the worst part of it, is that it had started in class that night before the attack. In fact I think her old reaction to the headlock maneuver may have given him the idea of how to attack her. Now this guy isn't exactly the brightest bulb. But he is quick to pick up on someone's vulnerabilities. Otherwise I don't think that he would have even tried it with her. At least not until he knew how she would react."

"Where was she at?" Weskham asked as he gave Paul a concerned look.

"She was near the fantail. It's pretty dark back there at night. Or at least that's what the kid that had helped her out said. Why she was back there still remains to be seen." Paul replied as he slowly looked at the desk

"What happened?" Paul heard Ignis' voice faintly asked from a distance.

Paul looked back up at the screen and saw Ignis slowly walking up to his uncle. Paul could see that Ignis was clearly upset. Since Ignis looked like he had just seen a ghost as he looked back and forth between the two of them. Paul figured that he must have just walked into the room.

Korn turned and looked at Ignis. "(Y/n) just had a bit of a rough night last night. That's all."

"A rough night?" Ignis asked in a stern voice as he looked at his uncle. "Her dad just said that she was attacked last night."

Both Paul and Korn glanced at each other before they looked back at him as Ignis was now starting to anxiously shift on his feet as his hands started to clench as he spoke. "Did he hurt her?"

"He had bitten her neck pretty bad and had split her forehead open a bit." Paul said in a gentle tone as he watched Ignis' reaction. "But the doc on board took care of those wounds."

Ignis dropped his head as his hands tightly gripped the sides of his pants as he tried to stay calm. "How has she been since? Is she acting any different?"

"Well she still hasn't talked about the attack with anyone yet. If that tells you anything. All she has done so far is mainly stay busy since then. I think she's just trying to avoid thinking about it at the moment." Paul answered as he gave Ignis a comforting glance.

"Now trying to get to sleep last night for her I think that was the hardest part for her. She ended up coming to my stateroom in the middle of the night asking to sleep in my bed with me." Paul in an almost daze. "She hasn't done that since she was little. And since the first attack. Of course I let her, so that she would feel safe again."

Ignis closed his eyes and swallowed hard as he tried to stay calm. "Where is she now?"

"She's on the bridge doing some celestial navigation. She has apparently befriended one of the quartermasters on board. And he had invited her up to learn about it." Paul explained as he watched Ignis start to tense up even more.

"What's his name?" Ignis asked as he slowly looked up at Paul.

"I think it's Chris." Paul answered as he watched Ignis intently. "He was the one who helped her out on the fantail. He had gotten the other guy off of her and had carried her up to sick bay."

Paul then watched as Ignis' whole face changed as he clenched his jaw. "I suppose I should be grateful for Chris then."

Paul slightly smiled as he watched Ignis. "You and me both. And that's the only reason why she is even out of my sight right now. Plus she's surrounded by the entire navigation team and night watch. No one would think to mess with her right now."

Paul watched Ignis swallow hard as he looked away. He definitely recognized that look. That was a look of pure frustration. As he had his hands clenched and his jaw locked as he kept his gaze away from Paul.

Paul slightly smirked as he had a feeling that if Ignis had been anywhere near the ship at that moment. That Keith would probably be having a hard time breathing. Since he could picture Ignis holding a dagger to his throat.

"I hope that the assailant is locked up in the brig for now?" Paul heard Korn ask.

"He is." Paul replied as he sat back in his chair again. "And he'll stay there until we arrive in port."

"And when will that be?" Ignis asked as he slowly looked back at Paul.

"If all goes well, we should arrive a day after tomorrow. And once we do, we'll board the train that's headed for Tenebrae. It's not scheduled to depart until late that night, so we should be able to make it. But if not, we can catch the morning train." Paul answered.

"Could I talk to (y/n) as soon as you get settled on board?" Ignis asked as he gave Paul a worried look.

Paul looked back at him with a warm smile. "I think she would like that a lot."

Ignis gave Paul a relieved look back. Paul returned with a fatherly smile as he watched Ignis take a deep breath as he tried to steady himself. He was relieved that Ignis did at least want to talk to you again. Which meant that he was starting to move past his own selfishness and jealousy. At least for now.

Paul took a deep breath and looked back at Weskham. He had been waiting to ask his own question for awhile. He just hoped that he wouldn't get shot down again like he had the last few times.

"Speaking of talking to someone." He began as he slightly smiled at Weskham. "Since Tracy is clearly not directly involved with the merchandise part and you have proven that her story was true. Would I be able to...?"

Weskham smiled as he slightly laughed. "I had a feeling you were going to ask. And yes. You can talk to her as soon as we're done. I'll have her call you after we hang up with you."

Paul felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled back. "Thank you."

Suddenly there was a knock at Paul's door. He paused and turned to look at the door. Then he heard it again. So he put up one finger as a way of keep everyone quiet for a moment.

"Yes?" Paul called towards the door.

Paul tried to make out what was being said, but he couldn't seem to understand the muffles coming from the door. "Hold on. Someone's at my door."

Paul then got up and walked over to the door and opened it up. He was surprised to see Jennifer standing there. Of all the people on the ship, she was the last person that he had expected to see. Which is why he stood there for a moment as he gave her a questioning look.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Paul asked as he kept his hand on the door.

"I just wanted to check in with you and your daughter to see if there is anything that we can do to help her?" Jennifer asked with an look of concern. "I hate the idea that one of my fellow crew members would do that to her. If we had known..."

"There's no way to tell if someone is going to do that." Paul interrupted as he gave her a slight smile back. "But I do appreciate you asking."

"Where's she at?" Jennifer asked as she looked at Paul.

"She on the bridge right now." Paul said as he nodded towards the upper decks. "The navigation team wanted to show her how to navigate by the stars tonight."

Jennifer then gave him a pleasant smile. "I'm glad. I was afraid that she wouldn't want to leave her stateroom after last night."

"She knows better than to let it get to her like that." Paul said with a slight smile. "But thank you for your concern."

"Not a problem. Just let me know if you need anything." Jennifer said back with a smile.

"I will. And thank you." He said.

Then she nodded at him and walked away. Paul nodded back before he closed his door again. Then he walked back over to his chair and sat back down. When Paul looked at the monitor, he saw that Ignis had walked away and it was just Weskham and Korn again.

"Well here's hoping that the rest of the trip is uneventful." Paul said as he leaned back.

"Aye." Weskham replied. "There is enough going on without more things being added to your plate."

"Well I better let you go. I need to go check on (y/n). They should be done by now." Paul said as he put away his notes. "Can you tell Tracy to give me a call in about an hour? I should be back by then."

"How about you just call in when your done?" Weskham returned. "I'll just tell her to wait by the computer. I don't think that's going to be an issue for her. She's been driving me crazy about wanting to talk to you."

Paul couldn't help but to drop his head as he slightly smirked. He had been going stir crazy himself. So to hear that she was having the same issue was a bit relieving. Because now he knew that she was feeling the same way.

"I can understand where she's coming from." Paul returned.

The bridge was bright from the full moon that was shining brightly in the sky. Paul couldn't help but to smile as he stepped onto the bridge and closed the door behind himself. He missed how tranquil it could be at night while on watch. Rick nodded to him as he made his way over to him.

"Good to see you tonight." Rick said as they shook hands.

"You to." Paul returned with a smile. "I had forgotten how nice it is at night on the bridge."

"Yeah. It's my favorite watch. It's quiet and enjoyable for me." Rick smiled back. "Unfortunately it's also when everyone falls asleep the most. Which is an issue sometimes. Unless we have rough seas of course. Then I have a whole new level of issues to deal with."

"Yeah right." Paul chuckled back. "So how did it go tonight?"

"Your daughter can definitely hold her own." Rick said as he nodded towards you as you stood outside as you took your bearings for your last fix. "Are you sure she's only 16?"

"She's good at surprising people. And trust me, she 16. As much as I hate to admit it. But she is real quick to remind me of that fact." Paul replied as he crossed his arms as he watched you headed back into the bridge.

Your dad stood there and watched you walk over to the chart table and put down your plot. While you did that, everyone else started to gather up by the chart table. He noticed that everyone seemed to be a bit excited as Chris entered the bridge through the door he had just used. Chris didn't look at him, but instead he walked straight over to the table.

Paul then watched the two of you slightly tense up as you both avoided each other's gaze. Paul knew then that something had gone on between the two of you. Paul then narrowed his eyes as he focused on both of you.

"So let's see who won this." Rick said as they both walked over and watched Chris comparing each plot to the ECDIS' plot.

"Who won what?" Paul asked as he gave Rick a questioning look.

"Well they have turned this training into a contest for them. The idea is to see who can get closest to the plot by the radar the most times." Rick answered as they watched Chris starting to check each plot for each team.

"Really?" Paul asked with a slight smile. "How many of them have won so far?"

"So far no one has beaten Chris' score." Rick said with a smile.

After checking every single plot. The excitement among the group turned into astonishment as the results showed that you were by far the closest to the radar readings for the majority of your plots. You stood there in shock before you looked back up at Chris. Only to see him giving you the same surprised look.

You then looked back down at the plots to make sure that you weren't just seeing things. You hadn't counted on winning. All you had done was just focus on reading the equipment right. And getting a good bearing on the stars.

"Congratulation (y/n). You won." Rick said with a smile. "You just smoked the rest of the team. In fact I think you even beat Chris' score. Perhaps you ought to be a quartermaster after you graduate."

"Graduate?" One of the girl asked. "The academy right?"

"No." Your dad replied as he looked right at Chris. "High school. In two years."

Paul then watched as Chris' face turn pure white as he realized what Paul was saying.

"You look exhausted. Haven't you been sleeping well?" Paul heard Tracy ask as she gave him a concerned look as she watched him through his computer.

"How can I? With everything that's been going on? And especially since your not even here with us?" He asked as he gave her a strained look.

"That's not by my choice." She replied as she dropped her gaze and brought one leg up into the seat with her.

"No it's not." Paul said as he gave her a hard look. "But it was your choice not to say anything to me about any of this."

"I know." Tracy said as she dropped her chin to her knees as she brought her other leg up and wrapped her arms around her legs. "And I'm sorry that I didn't. But I never meant for you to get mixed up with any of this. It didn't involve you and it never should have. And if I had known that this would happen. I wouldn't have come. At least not with you and (y/n). I would have been better off coming by myself. Then at least you wouldn't have been dragged through this shit."

"Don't say that." Paul replied in strained tone. "I just wish that I would have had a heads up is all."

"But there wasn't any way to really give you a heads up." Tracy quietly replied as she rubbed her hand up and down her legs.

"Really?" He asked as he was starting to get a but upset with her. "So you weren't even planning on saying anything? Not even a 'hey by the way, on my way back from Niflheim I decided to take down a fleet of pirates in Altissia'? You didn't think that this might come up if you ever stepped foot there again?"

"No. At least not like this." She said as she tightened up her grip on her legs.

Paul rolled his head as he closed his eyes and bit his lip as he tried to keep his temper from coming out. "I can't tell if you being naive or just fucking with me right now."

He watched her slowly look up at him with a strained look. "Perhaps I should explain the whole story."

Paul sat back in his chair and interlaced his fingers together as he rested his hands on his knee as he crossed his leg.

"Now that would be nice." He said in a stern tone. "Because I really hate being caught off guard."

Before you knew it, you and Luna were packing up the rest of your stuff in your bag before heading up to the bridge as the ship prepared to pull into port. You were lost in thought about how fast the rest of the trip had gone. But that was mainly due to you keeping yourself very busy in the galley and with packing back up all of your stuff. You hadn't really done much else. Not since winning the celestial challenge game that is.

But even then, you hadn't been back up to the bridge. Not after your dad had escorted you off and away from Chris and his team. In fact you hadn't even seen Chris since that night either. So you had no idea if he was trying to avoid you or if he was just busy. You silently hoped that it was just the later and not the former.

You paused for a moment after putting the last item in your bag. You knew that you would be back on board in a few days. But it still felt like you were going to be gone for an eternity. You tighten your grip on your bag as you look a slow deep breath as you tried to calm your anxiety.

"Are you ready?" You heard Luna ask from behind you.

You slowly released you bag and turned to face her with a smile. "Of course."

Luna smiled back at you. "I'm really glad that I have had a chance to travel with you like this."

"Me too." You replied as you felt your body relax.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. You both turned and faced the door and saw that your dad was standing there with his bag over his shoulder. You smiled at him as he glanced at the two of you. But you grew concerned when he only gave you a half smile.

"Are you two ready?" He asked in a flat tone.

"Yes." Luna replied as she gave him a slight smile.

"Ready when you are dad." You replied as you studied his face.

You could see that he was distracted. And you had a feeling it had to do with his talk with Tracy last night. He had told you that he was going to find out from her what had happened. But based on how he was acting. You had a feeling that it hadn't been as pleasant as he had hoped it would be.

"Good." He replied back to you before. "Let's head up to the bridge then."

"Right." Both you and Luna replied as you looked at your dad.

The bridge was full again with crew members as they were all at their stations. You looked around and saw that Chris was back on the bridge wing taking bearings. You slightly dropped you head. Then you felt your dad's hand on your back as he gently moved you to the railing on the opposite bridge wing from Chris. You had a feeling that he was directing you there for you and your dad's sake.

You quietly watched the scenery go past as the ship cruised effortlessly through the harbor. As the ship was navigated along, you saw two tugboats come along one side of the ship as you saw the pier approaching. Then as the ship got closer, the ship turned and slowly down. Then you watched as the two tugs started to gently push the ship into the berth beside the pier.

You then turned your attention to the foc'sle and watched as the deck department shot over a leading rope for the forward mooring line. Then once the forward line was on the bollard on the pier, you heard Rick announce over the PA system that the ship was moored. Your dad then placed one hand on your shoulder and the other on Luna's. You both turned and looked at him.

"Let's say our goodbyes to Bob and Alex before we head down to the quarterdeck. This way they don't feel rushed to walk down with us." You dad said with a slight smile.

"Okay." You replied.

"Yes let's." Luna replied as she turned to the bridge.

As you entered the bridge, you saw the navigation team putting away their gear. You couldn't help but to watch Chris as he carefully removed the chart from table after putting away all of the pencils and the slide ruler. The rest of the team was putting away their headphones and started to clean up the bridge area. You felt your heart sink as you slowly lowered your eyes as you realized that he wasn't even going to acknowledge that you were even there. Then you closed your eyes completely as you turned around as you heard the bridge door close behind them as they left the bridge area completely.

"It was good traveling with you again Alex." Your dad was saying as he shook Alex's hand. "I'm looking forward to the return trip."

"Same here Paul." Alex said as he smiled back before he released his hand. "But the return trip should be less eventful."

"I sure hope so." Your dad replied with a slight smile.

"Well except perhaps some more training sessions." Bob said as he reached out his hand to Paul. "Unless your not up for it."

"Far from it." Paul returned with a smile as he gave him a firm handshake. "I'm always up for a challenge."

"Same here." Bob replied as he released his hand. "Safe travels til then though."

"Thanks." Paul returned with a smile.

"And it was a privilege to have you onboard your highness." Bob said to Luna as he gave her a bow.

"The privilege was meeting you and your crew. I hope that our paths will cross again soon." Luna returned with a grin.

"We would considered it an honor." Alex replied as he smiled at her and bowed as well.

"And for me as well." Luna replied with a smile.

"Let's head down your highness. The deck department should be finishing with the gangway by time we get there." Your dad said as he gestured towards the exit.

"Yes of course." She replied and headed out of the bridge with you following right behind her.

"We'll see you when we return." Paul said back to Bob.

"Oh and speaking of returning." Paul called back as he started to follow you. "Did you happen to have any equipment stolen from your ship by Captain Steel several years ago?"

Both Bob and Alex gave Paul a stunned look.

"Yes." Bob replied in almost a whisper. "But how....?"

"We thought so." Paul replied. "We had found his hideout in Altissia and they came across what looked like some of your equipment. But not to worry. By the way it's going, they should be able to return it to you once we arrive back in Altissia."

"Really?" Alex asked as he gave Paul a stunned look. "That's awesome. Now I can't wait to get back."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Paul said with a smile.

Then he saw Bob's stunned face as he stood there as if he was frozen in place. "You okay man?"

Bob spoke in a soft tone as he looked at Paul. "Yeah. You just caugh me off guard is all. I thought that we had lost that forever."

"Well you can thank my girl Tracy for that one." Paul said with a smile. "But we can talk about that when we get back. We need to get going now."

"Yeah." Bob replied in shock as he stared at Paul.

Paul then smiled as he nodded at them both before he lead you and Luna off of the bridge and down to the quarterdeck. Bob couldn't seem to move as he stared after the three of you as you walked away.

"You don't think he's talking about my Tracy do you?" Bob asked in almost a whisper as he looked over at Alex as the door closed behind you.

Alex got a very serious look on his face before he meet his brother's gaze. "Do you know of another Tracy who would know anything about the missing equipment?"

After only waiting a few minutes, the deck department had the gangway secured and was able to let the three of you off the ship. You each thank them before you asked Rick permission to leave the ship. To which he granted as he grinned broadly at you as he nodded to you.

"Be safe and we'll see you in a few days." Rick called after you once you were on the pier.

"See you then." You called back as you waved at him.

Then the three of you headed down the pier. Bob stood on the bridge wing and stared at the three of you as you walked down the pier and towards the customs checkpoint. Of all the things to bring up. He had never expected to hear Tracy's name coming from Paul.

But how is it that Paul knows her? Do they work together or something? And how is it that Paul had heard about Captain Steel? That's a name that hadn't been spoken in years around Altissia. Not after what had happened.

"We'll find out more from him when he gets back." Bob heard Alex say as he walked over to him as he continued to watched as the three of you stood by the customs window and showed your visitors passes.

"What are the chances though? Honestly?" Bob asked before he turned back to look at Alex. "What are the chances that we both know the same Tracy."

Alex dropped his head for a moment before before he looked back at Bob with a concerned look. "Considering it is Paul and that he does work for the Intelligence Department in Insomnia? I would say that it is an almost a guarantee. The question that I think you should be asking yourself is whether you really want to see her again after all of this time? Because I have a feeling that if they found the hideout, then I bet it was because Tracy told them where it was at. Which means that she is more than likely in Altissia right now."

Bob dropped his head for a moment. He knew that Alex was right. Which is why he was struggling so much with this. He wasn't sure if he should be upset or excited by it.

Because on one hand, he might get a chance to see her again. But on the other hand, would he be able to handle seeing her with someone else? Or would he flip out on Paul. He wasn't sure. And at the moment he was still too stunned to even really concentrate on whether he should even ask Paul about it once they got back on board or not.

******Author Note******

Sometimes keeping secrets is harder than telling the truth. Which is why honesty is the best policy when it comes to most things. I won't say it's best all the time. Once in awhile a white lie is necessary to prevent someone from being hurt.

Well now that we're finally off the ship, it's time to head to Tenebrae. But will the rest of the trip be uneventful? One can hope. Then what of the trip back? You'll just have to stay with me and find out.

Thanks for reading. :)

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