Fantasy Caught in the Waves (Closed)

[AvianJen]

"Oh." Ella didn't get sick very often at home, at least not like this, and her and Josephine's nurse had never told her that. But she decided to follow Peter's advice; the last thing she needed was an upset stomach. That was the one thing she didn't really have right now. His logic about her fever made sense- that was something she had heard before, so she wasn't too scared about it. It was terrible to be feeling the way that she was, but she was hopeful that she would be feeling a lot better in the morning. Hopefully this wasn't a sign of things getting worse.

If she wasn't still feeling hurt she probably would have laughed at the little mishap with the rag. It wasn't a big deal, and Ella was able to adjust it on her forehead so that it felt better. She was aware that pirates didn't exactly get taken care of when they were sick, and Ella knew that she was lucky to have so many people taking care of her. Not only did she have her sister, but she had Alec who was helping and then also Peter, who, despite what had happened between them was still looking after her. Ella didn't understand why, although she thought that she would still want to take care of him if it was him who was sick.

She listened to his words, taking them all in as best she could. There were several things that Ella found confusing, first of which was the notion that he hated her. That wasn't at all true. She was just hurt, and she wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place if she hated him. Second was the fact that he felt guilty that she was sick. That wasn't his doing; yes, she had probably caught it from something on the ship, but that wasn't his fault. Her eyes followed his hand as it went to take hers. Ella was becoming more and more confused.

Then, it seemed like he was taking back what he said. Or was he? "I don't hate you," Ella murmured, wanting to make that clear. She left her hand in his, though that was partially because she didn't really have the energy to protest. Not that she wanted to...Ella didn't know what she was thinking about anything. "I don't hate you, I just...you were my first kiss, Peter. I didn't want that to be a mistake, and...what wasn't the truth?" She could feel her heart rate speed up which probably wasn't good, but she needed to know.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Peter felt some relief when Ella said she didn't hate him, and he was glad that she didn't make an attempt to pull her hand away from his. He liked the subtle contact, and the little bit of weight in his palm. After a week of barely speaking with her, it felt like a gift to just have a few inches of their skin innocently touching. Mostly he was just glad she wasn't completely rejecting him and giving him the opportunity to explain. He should have said all of this in the first place instead of lying to her, but back then he'd honestly thought he was doing the better, easier thing.

He didn't know he was her first kiss. It honestly surprised him, given how beautiful, smart, and fun she was most of the time. If he had learned this under happier and less serious circumstances, he might have even made a joke of how much of a pity that was for her. It was starting to become a lot clearer to him why what he'd said had hurt her so much. He was originally hoping that whatever she felt for him was nothing too serious. That they could forget about it and move on, choose the safer option, stay friends, and avoid all the pain. Instead he might have just caused it. Of course nobody would like to hear that their first kiss had been a mistake. People usually wanted it to mean something.

He took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall, feeling his hand tighten around hers. She was simultaneously making him nervous and giving him strength to be honest, which was a strange thing for him to experience. "You weren't just a drunken kiss, Ella," he said, turning his head lazily to look at her, even though having her eyes on him made him incredibly self-conscious. "I would have done it sober, and I've thought about doing it since... and honestly that scares me. I've never felt that way about somebody before." The prospect just opened up a lot of complicated possibilities. For one thing, it left him more vulnerable than he'd ever been. For another, even if he returned those feelings, which judging by her reaction to everything lately, she might, there was the whole other entirely complicated issue of societal expectations and disapproving family.

"I thought ignoring it was the best way to handle it. Apparently I was wrong. I never meant to hurt you, but clearly... I did. And I'm sorry for that." At least he had said it now and he had gotten it off of his chest, the weight finally lifted. He wasn't sure how she would react, but at least he'd been honest. Maybe it would help her, even if it didn't change things between them.

 

[AvianJen]

After a little bit, Ella found the feeling of Peter's hand in hers comforting. She was scared about her illness though she was trying hard not to show it, and despite how hurt she was she still had feelings for Peter. His hand was warm, but it was practically ice compared to her own. Ella was sure that she was flushed for more reasons than one- she wasn't feeling well at all, but she was still hanging on every word that he said.

When he admitted that it hadn't just been a drunk kiss, her heart skipped a beat. He was saying everything that Ella had wanted to hear him say, and now she was questioning whether or not this was some sort of delirious dream. Despite that distinct possibility, she decided to believe him. "Why didn't you?" she whispered. Ella would have kissed him back- Josephine and Alec wouldn't have approved, but Ella didn't care about that and he shouldn't either. Sure, there was probably no future for the two of them. But why did that mean they shouldn't enjoy it while it lasted? Suddenly, Ella began to understand what had kept Alec and Josephine together for so long. They had never had a bright future, but what they had was too good to give up. Maybe Josephine had been right all along. Or maybe Ella was just crazy.

"I've never felt anything for anyone else before either," she admitted. Both of them, it seemed, were completely new at this, but Ella was excited to hear that he didn't think of her as a sister like he'd said. He thought of her as something else, just as she thought of him. "And I don't...I don't know what I feel for you. But it's something."

Her lips turned up in a tiny smile when he apologized. "I understand why you did," she said softly. "But thank you." She finally did remove her hands from his, but only so that she could get her glass of water and take another sip. Sighing, she leaned back down on her pillows and closed her eyes briefly before turning her head to look at him. She almost wanted him to kiss her now, but she knew that she wouldn't feel well enough to enjoy it even if he did. Instead, she reached down and combed her fingers through a couple strands of his hair, tucking it behind his ear. Ella didn't know what any of this meant, but she did know that not a whole lot could happen while she was sick in bed. "I'll see you in the morning?" she asked, hopeful that he wasn't planning to tag along with Alec.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Peter felt much better having said what he needed to say. He wasn't sure if it would help her hurt any less, or if it was damage that was able to be undone, but at least the truth was no longer a burden he had to bear all on his own. There were a lot of ways to answer her question about why he didn't kiss her again. A lot of it boiled down to his own insecurities, and like he'd told Alec, practicality. "Have you met your sister?" he teased, raising an eyebrow. "And also because I'm an idiot."

It was also good to hear her say that she wasn't entirely sure what she felt either. He liked the way that she put it. It was something. A good something. They just didn't have the proper label for it yet. Apparently they were both sort of new to this, and Peter had at least enough experience to differentiate between whatever this was and lust. It was just good to hear they were both on the same page, and it was way less intimidating too. Maybe worrying too much about all of the what ifs was over complicating things.

He smiled when he felt her hands in his hair. It was a good sign. He did not know whether this meant she had forgiven him completely, but it was a more comfortable place than before. When she asked him if he'd see her in the morning, that pretty much solidified what he had hoped could eventually happen. She was talking to him again, and she actually wanted to see him. Before he had felt like the awkward elephant in the room, unwanted by everyone, but at least now he might have one friend again.

"I'll be around," he said with a soft smile, catching her hand again between both of his and giving her fingers a small kiss. He wasn't sure what he was doing in the morning, but he did know he wanted to try and help as much as he could. Like Alec, he would probably look for some way to bring in some money to help with the costs, but he would also spend time with her, if she wanted him to.

 

[AvianJen]

Ella couldn't help but let a laugh escape when Peter asked if she had met her sister, though that laugh quickly turned into a cough. "Josie's opinionated," she consented, "but she's harmless. Are you really scared of my sister?" she teased. Him being an idiot made was true, although she really did understand why he'd said what he'd said. That didn't mean that it was okay, and Ella would have much rather he told her the truth from the beginning instead of letting her go through all that heartache, but she could forgive him. His heart had been in the right place, she thought.

But for now, Ella could feel the sleepiness coming back. She felt much better, emotionally if not physically, and her body was begging her for rest. Her heart skipped another beat when Peter's lips brushed against her fingertips. She had seen Alec kiss Josie's hands multiple times and always thought it was sweet, but she'd never experienced it for herself. Again she wished that she was feeling better so that she could enjoy this moment more, but other than that it was perfect. "Good," she responded softly. She still wanted their father to come and didn't know what things would be like when he got there, but she hoped that Peter would stick around. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight." She gave him a little smile before closing her eyes, drifting off back to sleep.

The next morning, Alec was the first to wake up. He sat up in the cot, sore, but not any sorer than he'd been for the past couple of nights. He pulled himself to his feet with a groan and went to freshen up in the wash basin. He needed a proper bath- they probably all did- but that could wait until this evening. Ella probably wasn't going to get one until she was feeling better, but at least she had to the clean nightgown. Depending on how well he did today, he thought he might look into getting something for Josephine as well. He knew that she must be miserable, still wearing her dress from over two weeks ago.

For now, there was nothing he could do to better his appearance. Gingerly stepping around Peter's cot, he crossed to Josephine's side of the bed and leaned over, gently pushing her hair back and pressing a kiss to the side of her mouth. She was beautiful when she was sleeping; she didn't look stressed and wasn't freaking out over Ella. Still, Alec admired the way that she took care of her sister. She would be a wonderful mother someday- hopefully the mother of his children, but he didn't need to worry himself by thinking about that right now.

"Hey," he whispered into her ear, not wanting to wake anyone else up. Ella needed all the rest she could get. "I'm going to head out. Is there anything you need?"

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

"Not all of us have had a lifetime to get used to her," Peter pointed out. "And I wouldn't say she's harmless. I bet she could do some damage if she really wanted to." Josie had, after all, made Tom bleed. The bastard deserved it, even if it had backfired a little bit. Still, Peter didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, and he really didn't want to be a source of discontent between the sisters. It wasn't just Josephine, but Alec too. He still wasn't sure how to navigate that situation, but he could only hope that eventually they would come around to him.

Peter told her goodnight and waited by her side of the bed until she drifted off. He wanted to make sure she was still comfortable, and as she finally seemed like she was out of it, he thought that she also didn't look quite as bad as before. Whether that was a sign of her condition improving, or just a temporary break her in fever, he wasn't sure, but it eased his own worry for the night. He stood and went back to his cot, feeling much lighter and in a better place. It was much easier for him to fall asleep after that.

Josie hadn't stirred for the whole night. Not even when Ella got restless, not even when she and Peter were talking. The comfort of sleeping on a bed for the first time in weeks meant that her body could finally work on recovering from the exhaustion and stress of the ship. Even when Alec came and kissed her, she was slow to wake up. She made a tiny noise and then finally opened her eyes, smiling at hearing Alec's voice and seeing his face.

She shook her head at his question, and reached out to touch his face. "Just for you to come back to me," she said, leaning in and giving him a gentle kiss. She couldn't wait for the day she got to wake up to him every morning, and instead of Ella, she would be sharing a bed with him. The thought of that made her heart race with joy. "How late do you think you'll be?" she asked. She was mostly going to focus on Ella today, but she would also be thinking of him. This was a strange town, and she didn't know what kind of people lived here.

 

[AvianJen]

Ella smiled softly. Sure, Josephine could do some damage if she wanted to, but Ella didn't understand why she would want to hurt her or Peter. Even if they were to get together and have a relationship, Ella liked to think that Josephine would know better than to meddle in it. "She could, but she wouldn't," Ella insisted. She had full faith in her sister to use discretion, and if she couldn't do that then Ella was more than capable of doing a little bit of damage herself. Not that Ella would ever do anything to purposefully hurt her sister. She didn't think that she could, and she trusted Josephine to be the same.

Still, she felt like she and Peter were definitely in a better place than they were before, and after their conversation it was easier for her to fall asleep as well. She slept somewhat restlessly, but that was more a result of the fever than anything else. Hopefully it would feel better in the morning.

Alec smiled when Josephine woke up, kissing her in return. "Provided I don't die doing field work, that shouldn't be a problem, love," he joked. Alec wasn't particularly sentimental and didn't always know how to respond to the sweet, romantic things that she said, but she had never faulted him for it. "I don't know. It'll depend on the work, but I'll try to be back before dark. There's some food on the table for breakfast, and the money is under my pillow if you need it. If I'm late, there should be enough to pay the innkeeper for one more night and dinner." He knew that Josephine would take good care of Ella today, and she would have everything she needed to do so. What Peter was planning on doing, Alec had no idea.

"And finish your letter," he advised Josephine. "So you can get it out as soon as possible." The sooner they got the letter out, the sooner their father would be here to help them out of this mess. "You're sure you have everything you need for today?"

Beside Josephine, Ella began to stir. She rolled over and groggily opened her eyes, feeling better than she had when she'd woken up in the middle of the night, but still far from great. "Josie," she murmured, noticing her sister was awake too.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine smiled at Alec's joke. She knew she was being ridiculous and silly, but she couldn't help herself. Alec held a similar spot in her heart that Ella did. Whenever they were separated, there was a tiny bit of her that couldn't help but wonder about his well being. "I don't know, goats can be awfully vicious sometimes," she countered, but nodded. She knew she had everything she needed right here in this room. Anything Ella could possibly need was provided for, for the time being.

"I will," she said. If she got it done by the time post went out, then father could be here in just a few days. There were not words to describe how happy she would be to see him. The opinion of Josie and Alec's relationship aside, she just couldn't wait for their family to be whole and together again. "And yes," she said, hearing Ella stirring beside her. "I'm sure. We'll be fine. Now go." She reached up to give him one last kiss goodbye before she turned her attention to Ella.

She sat up and immediately pressed a hand to her forehead. She was still warm, probably not much better than the day before. That had her concerned that the fever wouldn't let up in the short time they had hoped for, but sickness was not always predictable. She reached around her for the rag that fallen from her yet again, made sure to get it damp again, and went to work pressing it against Ella's flushed face. "How are you feeling? Any better?" she asked.

Peter was the last to wake, stirring as the door to their room closed as Alec made his way out. He had slept much better after he and Ella talked, as uncomfortable as the cot was. He looked over to the girls, and gave Ella a soft smile. He wasn't particularly sure how he should be acting, but Josie didn't even glance his way. She only noticed him when he sat up.

"Peter, can you bring some food over here?" she asked him, thinking he better be making himself useful somehow instead of lounging around in the room all day.

"Of course," he said, getting up and wandering over to the food. He placed a variety of fruit into a small bowl and then brought it to them. He handed it straight away to Ella. "You should eat," he advised, and then glanced at the table and the letter they'd started last night. He was still uneasy about the prospect of their father coming, but he wasn't going to deny them their right to request he come here.

Josie saw him looking at it and stopped fussing with Ella for a moment to reach across her and pick it up. She decided that whatever she could say about her and Alec was better expressed in person, so she just signed her name and folded up the paper, handing it to Peter. "Do you mind mailing this out?"

 

[AvianJen]

Alec chuckled and shook his head. He hated goats. They were obnoxious and always tried to eat his clothes, which were tattered enough without their help. Josephine seemed confident that everything would be alright, so he stood up straight to leave. "Okay," he said. "But keep the door locked, alright? I'll see you this evening." He backed out of the room and turned to leave, grabbing an apple to eat on his way out.

Josephine almost scared Ella with her quickness, but it was fine. "About the same as yesterday," she said groggily. "I felt worse in the night." She was feeling better than she had then, which was good, but it didn't seem to Ella like she had improved very much overall. This was only the second day of her being sick, though. She didn't expect to feel completely better anytime soon. She glanced down at Peter and gave him a small smile in return, reaching out to take the bowl of food when he gave it to her. She really wasn't hungry, and looked to Josephine with a pouty expression.

"I'm not hungry," she claimed. She really should be hungry, but she just wasn't in the mood for eating. Nothing sounded good, and even though she loved fruit, the stuff int he bowl looked nauseating. It was perfectly good fruit, she just didn't want it. Ella watched as Josephine signed her name on the parchment and handed it to Peter, reaching over for the glass of water he'd brought for her last night. She took a sip and set it back down, trying to muster up the strength to eat a little bit...but she couldn't. Ella was still thinking about the conversation she and Peter had had last night, and she kept on casting little glances over at him. She didn't feel like explaining anything to Josephine right now, though, so she tried not to overdo it.

Meanwhile, Alec ventured out to try and find some work to do. It wasn't terribly difficult; this appeared to be a town with a lot going on, though most of it had something to do with the water. Alec hated being on the water, he'd decided, and he was nervous that the pirate ship was still docked, but he was able to find some work at the harbor, pulling in nets of fish and depositing them into barrels and taking them to the market. It wasn't his first choice, but he'd get paid for it.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine tried to remind herself that it was just day two. It would take some time for things to start truly looking better. Still, when Ella refused the food, it was just another troubling sign to her. "You need to eat, Ella," she insisted, reaching into the bowl and starting to peel an orange for her. She was worried that a couple bites of stew and nothing else was going to have her sister looking like a pile of bones in a week. She had already lost weight since being on the ship. They both had. She stuck a piece of the orange to Ella's lips. "Just try, okay?"

Peter took the letter from Josephine and nodded. Post was cheap, and he had half a thought to pick up the newspaper for them too while he was at it. It was going to be boring sitting in a room all day for both of them. With nothing else to do, he had a feeling Ella would start to grow annoyed with Josephine's fussing about her after a day or two.

He fiddled with the letter for a moment, watching Ella. He knew that she was stealing glances at him because he was stealing his fair share of his too. He didn't really want to leave her, but he knew he ought to take after Alec and make himself useful somehow. Besides, he also wasn't really sure how he should act around Ella when Josephine was in the room. "Alright, I'll be back." He backed out of the room, giving Ella another secretive smile on his way out. "Eat", he mouthed, before closing the door behind him.

Despite their attempt at being discrete, Josephine had picked up on it somehow. Even if they hadn't directly talked to each other, there was something about the body language that was suddenly very different between the two of them. "What was that all about?" she asked. "I thought you were done with all that." Her tone was more surprised than accusatory or disapproving, but she was still uncertain about the whole thing. Hell, Ella still hadn't even told her what had happened between them in the first place.

 

[AvianJen]

Ella frowned when Josie put the orange against her lips. She didn't want to eat it. Actually, she wasn't sure if she could even stomach it. "I don't want it," she insisted. "Especially not an orange. Do we have any bread?" Oranges were acidic, and Ella was sure that her body wouldn't respond well to it. Bread, on the other hand...bread she could probably snack on a little bit better. She wanted something bland, not something that would make her stomach churn even more.

She was extremely grateful that she had a big sister to take care of her, but she was already starting to wish that Josephine would back off just a little and give her some space. Ella did need to eat; her body needed energy to fight her illness, but she also just wanted to lay there and do nothing. She might like to read- if there was a library nearby she might have asked Josephine to go find something interesting. Or she might like to sit and listen to Peter's stories, but she didn't think that Josie would approve of that. She just didn't feel like eating oranges.

Ella noticed him stealing glances at her as well, and she almost giggled at his insistence that she eat. She didn't want to, but she thought it was funny how they were trying to hide their mended relationship from her sister. Unfortunately, nothing got past Josephine.

"What was what about?" she asked innocently, looking over at her sister. "Peter?" She glanced towards the now closed door. "Nothing. He brought me some water last night and we're on better terms, I guess. That's all." She didn't want Josephine to get any ideas, and she didn't want to have a conversation about why she shouldn't like Peter. She didn't feel well enough for that right now. "Is there anything to read in here?" She didn't know what she would do if all she did was sit there all day, and all Josephine did was fuss over her.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine frowned at Ella's refusal. She was so much like a whiny child sometimes. At least Ella wasn't refusing completely though. Josephine dragged herself up out of the bed just as Peter left, popping the piece of fruit in her own mouth instead. She too was starving, and missing their cook's roasted chicken tremendously. She gathered up a couple pieces of bread and brought them to Ella, opting to sit beside her on the bed rather than lay down.

"Now will you eat?" she asked, giving her a look that said she better not refuse. If the Typhoid didn't kill her, starvation would if she kept up with her stubbornness. She also had the distinct feeling Ella was omitting information on purpose when it came to Peter. "Mmm. One glass of water and everything is fine and dandy again?" she asked. She wished Ella didn't feel the need to hide things from her. Maybe it was her fault, with her obvious disapproval. But what else could she do? Josephine couldn't just up and change the way she felt about Peter. He had done them some good, but to convince her entirely would take some time. More time than they had, probably. She just didn't understand it, as hard as she was trying to. Maybe there was something redeemable about Peter that she didn't see, yet. Only time would tell.

She got up to look around for reading material, though she doubted there would be much. She found a Bible in the bedside table, but that was about it. It might do to pass the time, but both of the girls had read it about a hundred times over already, and Josephine never really was as devoted to the church as others seemed to be. Regardless, she laid it on the bed beside Ella, but her mind was elsewhere. There were better stories to tell than the ones in that book.

She pushed some Ella's hair back behind her ear and smiled, deciding to drop Peter for now, and hoping that eventually Ella would let her in. "Do you ever wish we were kids again?" she asked. "Before we had to worry about things like marriage and boys and our family's financial problems? Before mother died? I wonder what she would think about all of this."

 

[AvianJen]

Ella looked at the pieces of bread and nodded, picking up a slice and tearing it apart. She nibbled on it slowly, wondering if eating quickly would upset her stomach like Peter said the water would, but she didn't want to eat quickly anyways. It would probably take her a good hour to eat one slice of bread, but it was something and the bread was good. Alec must have gotten it fresh from the market yesterday, or if not fresh, then at least it wasn't stale yet.

She continued to nibble on it, wishing that Josephine wouldn't ask about Peter. Ella really didn't want to tell her sister about what she and Peter had really talked about, or what the outcome of that conversation had been. To be honest, Ella wasn't even entirely sure of what the outcome had been. Obviously if they were going to experiment with each other, they couldn't do it while she was sick. So for now it seemed like they were limited to occasional secret hand-holding and discrete smiles. But that was enough for Ella.

"You don't understand. I was dying of thirst," Ella declared. "I was having a bad night, and he made it better." Part of Ella really wanted to tell Josephine what Peter had told her, that he had lied thinking that was what was best but that he really did like her. But she knew that Josie wouldn't approve, and Ella didn't want to deal with her disapproval. She didn't have the energy to argue about romance again. Ella resolved to tell Josephine when she was feeling better or when she started to act nicer to Peter, if she didn't find out on her own before then.

She leaned back on her pillow, deciding that she was done with the bread for now, and contemplated Josephine's question. "I don't know," she said finally. "I guess life was easier then, but I don't think I want to be a child." Ella liked knowing things and experiencing things, and now that she was older she had been able to learn so much. She wouldn't choose to go back to a childish state of ignorance. But life was more carefree, less stressful...though a part of Ella had retained those childlike characteristics anyways.

"Mother would have sent Father after us," Ella said, a smile coming across her face as she remembered what their mother had been like. "She probably would have gone herself. And I think she would approve of you and Alec."

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine didn't understand. Ella was right about that. But how could she ever understand when Ella never told her the details? For the last week her sister had not even spoken a word to Peter unless she had to, and a glass of water suddenly made up for whatever he had said or done to her. It just seemed so unlikely and so strange to Josephine, but she didn't say anything else about it.

As far as being a child, Josephine thought that there were many childlike qualities Ella had held onto. They were not always a bad thing, but Josephine did wonder sometimes how the two of them could come out so different from each other when they were raised under the same roof. "Yeah. Me neither. I like our complicated life. And I no longer have to worry about you pulling on my braids all the time," she said with a grin. Ella had been kind of a devilish child, or at least, more devilish than Josephine had ever been, who had always tried to suck up to the adults and show off to the other kids.

She smiled at Ella's thoughts on mother. She wasn't wrong. Mother had been headstrong and bossy, and she had always seemed unafraid of anything. Even when she was on her deathbed, there was not a moment Josie could remember where her mother looked scared. She liked to think that mother would approve of her an Alec, too, even if that didn't matter anymore. It still made her feel warm inside. "Yeah, I think you're right. You remind me a lot of her, you know." Josephine always thought Ella probably took more after their mother. Both of them always got complimented on how much they looked like her, but Ella had more in common with her personality. Josephine had more in common with their father, who was always responsible, stern, but could still be warm and very protective of his girls.

(blah, sorry this sucks so bad. I'm a little tired, but I still wanted to get this in)

 

[AvianJen]

((No worries! I think I'm gonna time a little bit ))

Ella smiled at her sister. "I like it, too," she agreed. Sometimes complications were bad, but they made life more interesting. Like the pirates- it was a horrible experience, one that Ella certainly didn't want to relive, but they had come out of it just fine and now it was a grand story to tell. Ella had been on the high seas, seen a mermaid, gotten drunk and made out with a pirate. It was a good story to tell. She had learned so much, and now so much was different. She smirked at Josephine's comments about her braids, knowing full well the truth of that statement. Ella and Josephine had always been strikingly different, but that was what made them so close.

Being compared to their mother was the highest of compliments, and Ella beamed. "You remind me of father," she responded. That was true; Josephine was much more protective and firm, but both Mother and Father were determined and stubborn in their own unique ways. That was true for the sisters as well.

They spent a little while longer reminiscing about their childhood and talking about things that didn't cause conflict, but Ella soon began to get sleepy again. She nibbled on her bread every so often and soon dozed off entirely, her face still flushed with fever. Ella slept for hours, completely dead to the world as the day passed by.

When she finally woke up again, it was evening. Alec was back, leaning over her with concern, a hand pressed to her forehead. "She's getting worse," he murmured to Josie, looking up. Maybe that was just because it was night time, but the wet rag was doing little to bring down her temperature.

Alec had gotten back to the room about an hour ago, where he quickly inquired about a bath to rid himself of the fishy smell. It clung to his clothes as well, but he couldn't very well walk around naked so it would have to do for now. None of them quite looked or smelled their best. Besides, there were more important things to be worried about.

Thankfully he had managed to bring back a decent amount of money, at least good for one additional night. If he kept it up and got the same pay every day, then they could stay here indefinitely. He was worried about Ella, though. She appeared to have woken up, but she was clearly very out of it. Alec had no idea what to do for her.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

It felt nice to just pass around some memories for a while. It helped pass the time, but Josephine let Ella get her rest when she needed it, and actually curled up beside her for a nap until Alec ended up returning. He smelled like fish and saltwater, but it was not something that Josephine hadn't grown used to having been out on the ocean for so long. She would have loved to have a bath as well, but with the four of them all crammed in the room and one of them confined to the bed, it was a bit difficult. It was also not her primary concern.

Josie stood close next to Alec when he checked her temperature again, trying to remain calm when he said that she was getting worse. This was bringing back horrible memories of sickness and loss for her. It was only night two, but the doctor had said that it shouldn't take more than a few days to recover. Some help he was. They had a diagnosis, but he hadn't done anything to help them help her, and Josephine was suddenly angry at him for being so useless.

She put her hand over Ella's forehead, feeling for herself just how warm she was. She couldn't imagine the discomfort Ella must be going through, and she was trying to hold back her emotions to keep her from seeing how scared she was of losing her. This was starting to appear more serious than she even initially thought, and she grabbed Alec's hand for comfort.

That was when Peter returned. He'd mailed out the letter and spent the day doing some manual labor moving some shipping containers for a merchant ship. It had earned them a little extra cash, and with it he had thought of some ways to improve Ella's mental condition if he couldn't do much to help with the physical. He had with him a couple of books, because he knew how much she loved stories. He was excited to show them to her, but when he came in and saw Alec and Josephine crowded around Ella, he grew worried instead.

"How is she...?" he inquired, putting the bag of books aside.

Josephine just looked up and shook her head. "We need to get her fever down..." she said, but the rag appeared to be doing nothing "She's too hot."

Peter frowned, and then crossed the room to open the window. Having air circulate might help, but he was not quite sure what else they could do. He wandered over to the others, and handed Ella her glass of water. "Drink," he said. "Should I grab the doctor again?" he suggested.

Josephine scoffed. "Right. What a great help he was last," she said sarcastically, clearly upset.

 

[AvianJen]

Alec put his arm around Josephine, holding her tightly. He didn't know what to do to comfort her; Ella wasn't doing well, and there was no way to sugarcoat that. At least yesterday she'd had enough energy to interact with them, but now she appeared weak, too weak to even open her eyes. She wasn't sleeping, and every so often her eyes would open and her head would turn, but that was about all they could get out of her. Alec hadn't been very worried at first, thinking that she would get better, but her condition had worsened dramatically throughout the day. If her fever got much higher, then that alone could kill her.

Ella was absolutely miserable. She knew that everyone was standing around her, but she felt so weak. It didn't help that she'd only really eaten three or four bites of food in the past two days., but she didn't think that she could lift her head up and she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

When Peter put the glass of water into Ella's hands, Alec knelt down and tried to prop her up before lifting the glass of water to her lips. She swallowed a few sips, and took a tiny bite of bread when Alec held it to her lips, but that wasn't going to help by much. He laid her back down and stood, reaching to hold onto Josephine once again, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him.

"I don't know if he'll do anything," Alec responded in regards to the doctor. "We just have to try and cool her down. If she gets any worse I'll go get him." He pulled the blankets off of Ella for now and tossed them to the other side of the bed, leaving only a thin sheet covering her. Opening the window was a good idea, and Alec looked over at Peter.

"What have you been doing all day?" he asked, eyeing the bag sitting against the wall. "Did the letter get mailed?" If so, it should reach their father by midday tomorrow, and Alec was sure he would leave immediately to come get his girls. It felt like magically he would be able to make Ella better, even though that was completely untrue. He may arrive and be just as helpless as the rest of them. If there was something they could do to help her, then Alec was sure they would have thought of it by now.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine could hardly stand to look at Ella like this, but she also couldn't bear to look away. She just felt so useless, not knowing what to do. Attempts to get her to eat failed most of the time, the wet rag was doing nothing to keep her temperature down. All Josephine could do was provide a sense of emotional support, but what good was that at at time like this? Especially when she was clinging onto Alec for her own support. She wasn't very well put together herself right now.

Peter was feeling equally was useless, but everybody was right about the fact that there wasn't much they could do. Keeping her body temperature down was key, and other than that, keeping an eye on her and offering her as many comforts as they could give her was really all they could do. It pained Peter to see her so sick like this, especially because he knew the risks of it. How unfair would it be if Typhoid took away the one person who had ever actually encouraged him to turn his life around? Ella was possibly the only person left in this world he actually cared about, and she had not even been in his life very long. It seemed tragic that it might stay way, and this time, it wouldn't be the choice of either one of them.

"I mailed the letter," Peter answered. "And then I spent some time loading some ships at the harbor for some extra money." It hadn't been much, but it was something that at least gave them a little bit more of cushion to fall back into if they needed it. He had thought about going back to the pirate ship to take more since technically none of them knew that Peter was leaving yet, but he was too afraid of getting too afraid to leave once he stepped foot back on it. None of the others really knew it yet, but it had taken a lot of courage to leave.

He walked over to the door where he left the bag of books he'd brought to pick it up and returned to Ella's side. This morning they had been less obvious about their making up, and Peter was still unsure about what exactly they could call their relationship, but being subtle was no longer option right now. Josephine and Alec could disapprove of him all they wanted, but he only had Ella's comfort and happiness on his mind right now. That meant being by her side and doing what he could to bring a little bit of distraction away from her health.

He knelt down by her and pulled the books out. There were only two, as books could be rather expensive, but he thought they were worth the money. He'd chosen them specifically with her interests in mind. One was a book about mermaids, and the other contained illustrations of discoveries made in distant lands since he knew how adventurous at heart she was. "Hey," he said. "I got you something today. I thought you could use a little entertainment while you're here." He placed the books on her lap where she could see them.

 

[AvianJen]

Alec raised an eyebrow at Peter and nodded, impressed that he had actually gone out and done something. "Great," he said approvingly. It looked like he had probably spent half of the money he'd earned already, but when he saw what he had bought all of his judgments melted away. That was thoughtful, regardless of how he usually felt about Peter. He put his arm around Josephine again and pulled her away from Ella's bedside gently, letting Peter sit next to her instead so that she could see. Maybe he could get a reaction out of her.

Ella wasn't incredibly responsive, but she did notice when Peter put the books on her lap. She shifted slightly, making a little sound in acknowledgement as she tried to look at what Peter had brought for her. She slid a hand out to take one of the books. It felt like a thousand pounds in her hand, but she was able to see a picture of a mermaid on the front and the tiniest of smiles came across her pale lips.

"Can you...can you read it?" she requested, turning her head towards Peter. Her eyelids drooped closed again, but she wasn't asleep. She could still hear everything that was being said even though she was feeling generally out of it, and it might be nice to hear Peter read a story about mermaids instead of everyone fretting over her.

Alec moved to sit on the cot, trying to get Josephine to sit with him. There was very little they could do for Ella right now except make her as comfortable as possible and keep her temperature down. Keeping the wet rag on her forehead was a good idea even though it wasn't doing much right now, but other than that they had done just about everything.

"Are you okay?" he murmured to Josephine, pressing a kiss to her temple and rubbing her back. He could tell that she was distraught, and he didn't blame her. Alec still believed that Ella would pull through, but it was scary. What if she didn't? She didn't look good now, and all of them could see it. "Are you hungry? I can go find something for dinner." Alec was beat from a long day of hard work, but none of them had eaten yet. "I can go get some more stew."

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Peter felt his heart warm when she smiled at the book, even though to see her struggling with it was hard. It just helped to know that he had been able to do something to lift her spirits a little bit. He smiled at her while she looked it over, and picked it up when she made her request for him to read from it. "Of course," he said. He actually got up to move to the other side of the bed so he could sit up beside her and she could look at it with him if she wanted to.

Once he kicked off his shoes and adjusted himself comfortably beside her, he opened the book to the first page. It was a collection of short stories about mermaid encounters, many of them probably much like his own experiences. He doubted any of them would be as strange as his and Ella's own encounter with Nora, but they would be entertaining and interesting all the same.

He slid his hand into Ella's and began to read, ignoring Alec and Josephine and whatever their reaction might be. He didn't care about them right now, he only cared about putting a smile on Ella's face.

Josephine followed Alec reluctantly. She had anxiety about leaving Ella's side, even though she knew it was silly to worry because they were all still in the same room. At least Peter was there. Even she could acknowledge the good that he was doing with the books, and at least it might distract her sister from how bad she must be feeling right now. It would also probably do Josie some good to take a mental break.

She sighed, sitting next Alec and leaning into him, eventually resting her head on his shoulder. "No, I'll just eat some of what we have," she said. She was hungry, but she wanted to conserve their money should they need it. She also had a bad habit of ignoring her appetite when she was stressed out or worried, and that had been a constant in her life since the moment they were kidnapped. "I'm scared for her. I wish father was here," she admitted.

 

[AvianJen]

Ella tightened her hand in Peter's, just enough to let him know that she wanted it there. She had slept all day; she had no idea how things had gotten this bad, but she had never felt worse in her life. Ella actually felt like she might die. What if she didn't get any better? What if this was it? She was terrified even though no one else could see it, terrified that she might die before she got to see her father again or go home. She wouldn't be able to be in Josephine's wedding if that happened, or ever kiss Peter again, or read for herself the books he had brought her. It was absolutely terrifying, but there was nothing she could do.

Instead of focusing on all of that, she focused instead on the sound of Peter's voice. She enjoyed hearing the stories about the mermaids, and now having seen one for herself she could tell which stories were made up and which ones might hold some merit. Unless there were multiple different kinds of mermaids. Hmm...she'd have to ask Peter about that. As he read, she slowly managed to move closer to him, snuggling against his side and leaning her head on his shoulder, where if she had the energy to keep her eyes open she could see the illustrations. They were beautiful, fantastical drawings, and though she couldn't keep her eyes open the whole time, she looked at them every so often. The stories were interesting and the sound of Peter's voice soothed her, lessening the anxiety she was feeling.

Alec leaned his head against Josephine's, watching as Peter read the mermaid book to Ella. She seemed to like it, and for that he was glad. He looked over at Josie, his heart breaking for her. He knew that she was scared, and once again he was powerless to do anything about it. At least they had a roof over their heads, and enough money for food. Alec hated to see her so upset, and he wished that there was more he could do not only for Ella but for her.

"Are you sure?" he asked when she didn't want dinner. "We have enough money, and I'll go out and work some more tomorrow." They probably only needed to make ends meet on their own for one more night after this, and Alec was positive they would manage. He wouldn't be surprised if Josephine had spent all of her time trying to get Ella to eat something while completely forgetting that she needed to eat as well. He knew that she hadn't been eating much the past couple weeks.

"You have to take care of yourself, Josie," he murmured, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "What have you eaten today?" He glanced up again, seeing how interested Ella was in the stories despite everything. He sighed- maybe he and Josephine had been wrong about Peter, though the sight of their joined hands was still cause for concern. Hadn't he told Ella that they couldn't be together? Whatever he had said, it didn't look like it mattered now.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Every tiny movement closer to Peter did not go unnoticed by him. He was focused on the stories, but he was also very much aware of her. The warmth of her hand in his, the sound of her breathing, and delicate weight of her head on his shoulders had him in a funny state of happiness along with his concern for her health. The vivid descriptions of mermaids along with his own memory attested to the fact that mermaids were among the most dangerously beautiful creatures in the world, but as far as he was concerned, they didn't quite measure up to the enchanting nature of the woman beside him.

As he continued to read her the stories from the book, he thought about the fact that he might never encounter a mermaid again. The reality of a life on land was bizarre and foreign to him, much like the life of a pirate was a mystery to most other people. Adjusting to this world was going to take some time, but as long as he had Ella by his side he thought it would be easier. He couldn't believe he almost went off on his own without her. He couldn't believe that was the choice he thought was easier. Right now, it felt so easy to have her hand in his.

He only hoped that he could treasure this for longer and that her illness wouldn't take her away from him.

Josephine hadn't even thought about food all day unless it was when she was trying to get Ella to eat something. "Just an orange..." she said, realizing she had probably eaten less than Ella actually. She'd been so focused on her sister she hadn't even thought about herself, or paid attention to how empty her stomach felt. Her dress felt loose, and even the corset she'd been too proud to take off was ill fitting now. Funny how she was taking care of Ella, but Alec had to remind her to take care of herself.

She watched Ella and Peter closely, noticing the small details like the way Ella moved closer to Peter and how their hands intertwined. It had her wary as always, but she couldn't bring herself to say something about it now. Not when Ella was this sick, and not now that she was making the little bit of effort to keep her eyes open. She still wished she had the details Ella was keeping from her, but it seemed hopeless that she'd find out about them any time soon.

Tearing her eyes away from them, she lifted head to look at Alec. He had done so much for them, Josephine wasn't sure she could ever thank him enough, but she was certain now more than ever that he was the only man who she could ever love this much. "Okay," she relented. "If you're sure we can afford it." Maybe something like warm broth would be easy enough for Ella to stomach, or at least easier than the hard bread.

 

[AvianJen]

It would have been amusing that Josephine had only eaten an orange today if it wasn't so concerning. Alec was worried that she wasn't getting enough to eat- she definitely wasn't if that was all. They needed to fix that, and she needed to take care of herself. "Okay," he said. "We should get dinner then." He was happy when she finally agreed and stood up to go to the front room. He returned a few minutes later with some more hot stew- it wasn't exactly gourmet, but it was hearty and warm.

He passed a bowl to Josephine and one to Peter, setting Ella's down next to her water. Josephine would probably try and get her to eat it and she might get a few bites, but Alec doubted that she would want a whole lot. Maybe Peter would have some luck getting her to eat something.

Right now, though, he wanted to make sure that Josephine was okay and that she ate. He handed her a spoon and sat down next to her again, digging into his own dinner. He was weary and exhausted, but that was just the way things were now. If he could, he might try to turn in in the next hour or so...though he imagined all of them would be up late taking care of Ella.

Alec ended up being right. The night passed by slowly. Peter read to Ella for a while longer until she fell asleep again, curled up against him on the bed. Somehow, without anyone knowing it appeared that they had made up. Alec would have asked, but he knew that it really wasn't important right now. She hadn't touched her stew, which was probably disappointing for everyone, but she seemed less miserable when she was sleeping. "Your father should be here tomorrow," he said to Josephine. "I'm sure he'll know what to do. Maybe he can find a better doctor." They couldn't afford a better one, but he might be able to do more for Ella. He was afraid that she might not make it, but Ella was a stubborn one. If anyone could pull through this, she could.

Still, he was worried about what would happen when the girls' father came into the room. His first concern would certainly be his daughter's health, but then after Ella was all taken care of Alec didn't know what sort of turn the conversation would take. Alec wasn't ready for a real decision to be made, not ready for his and Josephine's future to be decided for them. There was hope, but it was still scary. Alec had no clue what the outcome would be.

He looked up at Ella, wondering if Peter intended on moving or not. Ella looked pretty comfortable and his moving might wake her up, but he didn't know how Josephine would feel about her sister sleeping next to him, regardless of her health. "You should get some rest," he said, nudging Josie fondly. She looked physically and emotionally drained, but Ella would still need taking care of tomorrow.

 

[SheLuvsMusic]

Josephine hadn't thought she was all that hungry until Alec placed the bowl into her hands, and then she was glad for it. She wasn't sure what she would do without him, and as nervous as he had made her for finding his way onto the pirate ship for them, she was ultimately glad that he did it. She finished her stew in a handful of minutes, and then Peter had taken a break from reading to Ella to eat his and try to get her to eat hers, but nobody had been successful. That was worrisome, but there was only so much they could do about it.

Josephine watched Peter with Ella. She was a little annoyed that she couldn't find a way to be angry with Peter right now, but however he managed to do it, Ella looked at least a little less miserable when he was speaking to her. It brought back all of her old concerns about him, and she had to admit she felt a little bit jealous of his way with her. Josephine was supposed to be taking care of her sister, and she liked to think that there was nobody else who could do it better, but she had to admit having a little bit of a break from it was well needed.

At least father was coming soon, and from there she knew things would start to get better. Alec was right about that. She also knew that father coming meant other things too, and as glad as she was to see him, she was as nervous as Alec was about what it could mean for them. Slipping her hand into his, she gave his shoulder a kiss before resting her chin there. "I hope so," she said. Then after a short pause, "I love you. No matter what happens with father."

She eyed the bed, tired, but Ella had already fallen asleep and more or less on top of Peter too. Peter was also looking fairly out of it. Once Ella had passed out, he stopped reading and opted to just watch her instead, every once in a while looking up over at Alec and Josephine. Eventually he'd closed his eyes, and now it looked like he had also drifted off with no sign of waking anytime soon. Josie had half a mind to do it herself, but she also didn't want to disturb Ella when she needed her rest. If she was comfortable, she didn't want to jeopardize it.

"Can we sleep on the floor?" she asked Alec, knowing that it wasn't an exciting prospect after the days of sleeping on the floor on the ship. They had cots now and a bed, but even on the floor she felt she slept better being near him. "I want to be with you." They had the extra blankets Ella was no longer using, so they could attempt to make it more comfortable.

 

[AvianJen]

Alec tried not to show Josephine how worried he was, both for Ella's health and for the fate of their relationship. Everyone was worried, and he needed to stay strong for them. He couldn't show how terrified he was. He gazed at Josephine, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss. "And I love you," he told her. He did- Alec didn't know if he would ever marry if he couldn't be with her. Like Peter, he was a man with a less than picturesque childhood and no family to speak of, so he didn't know what would become of him if he never settled down to build a real life. But he couldn't imagine doing that with anyone other than the woman beside him, and he didn't want to. "Let's not think about that for now," he suggested, knowing that it was on both of their minds. It wasn't going to do any good worrying about it. It wasn't going to make anything better, and they had enough to worry about right this second.

Ella was curled against Peter's side, her head resting next to his and their hands still joined together. When Peter fell asleep as well, Alec figured that it was going to stay that way. He wished that the man would move so that Josephine didn't have to sleep on the floor, but he was on the same page as she was- there was no sense in risking disrupting Ella's comfort if they didn't absolutely have to.

He was surprised when she asked to sleep on the floor, though. He really didn't want to; his body ached and the cot was at least slightly more comfortable...at the same time, he couldn't say no to Josephine. Alec didn't even know if it was possible. "Of course," he agreed easily. He grabbed the pillows from his and Peter's cot and all the blankets they had, arranging a space next to Ella's side of the bed for them to sleep. Once it was as comfortable as it was going to get, he laid down next to Josephine, holding her close to him. It wasn't extremely comfortable, but the physical discomfort was made up for by her presence next to him. For all they knew, this may be the last night they were allowed to say they were in love.

Ella began to stir early into the morning. Her body desperately needed as much rest as it could get, but it was quite an accomplishment to actually get through the entire night without waking up. At some point during the night her arm had draped itself over Peter's body, but she retracted it now, rolling over onto her back and stretching her aching arms over her head. She blinked, squinting in the bright light shining through the window. And when she looked to her side, there was Peter. How had that happened? She noticed the book still in his lap and realized that must be why.

Yawning, she moved to curl back up next to him, deciding that she quite liked the feeling. It made her feel a little less like death, although physically she wasn't doing much better. She was hungry though, so that was something. Maybe she would be able to stomach more than a couple bites of bread.