She worked diligently through the rest of the morning and afternoon, replacing shingles and fixing the siding on the cabin. As the sun started to dip towards the horizon Morgan sat back on her heels and looked down the hillside, an unbidden smile tugging at her lips. Allison had gone down to the creek and was now riding Mercury bareback around the meadow. A gentle breeze fanned her auburn hair back away from her face, the late afternoon sunlight highlighting it with streaks of warm gold. Morgan lifted her hair away from her neck and let the breeze cool her sweat-dampened skin, wishing her exhaustion was enough to keep her from remembering the tender kiss brushed against her temple that morning. She sighed heavily and dropped her hammer into the toolbox, flexing her shoulders in an attempt to ease the soreness starting to set in, then pushed herself to her feet. The captain wearily made her way up onto the porch and inside, putting her toolbox away and dipping a cup into the bucket of water in the kitchen. After quenching her thirst she pulled a clean shirt and a piece of soap out of her saddlebags and headed back outside, making her way down the hill to the creek. Allison was walking at the other end of the meadow with Mercury following along behind her, and as Morgan reached the creek the redhead looked back towards her. The captain raised her hand and waved then turned and moved along the creek, pulling her shirt over her head as she made her way to the waist-deep pool she’d dug out the year before.

Morgan slipped her breeches off and tossed her dirty clothes onto a rock then stepped slowly down into the water, sucking in a breath as the cool water lapped at her thighs. Reaching the middle of it she quickly ducked under the surface, then waded over to the side of the pool to pull her day's clothes into the pool. She quickly rinsed all the sweat and dirt out of the fabric then started to scrub them, working the soap into the fibers then rinsing the fabric clean. Morgan lost herself in her routine, rinsing and wringing her clothes out before hanging them over a nearby branch. Finished with her laundry she quickly scrubbed her skin clean and rinsed off, the slight breeze from earlier picking up and raising goosebumps across her flesh. Stepping up out of the water Morgan gave her shirt and breeches a last wring, letting the breeze dry her skin before gratefully pulling her clean shirt over her head. Glancing around she saw no sign of her companion and shrugged her shoulders, settling the sun-warmed cotton around her before carefully navigating her way back up the hill.

Morgan padded quietly across the cabin, glancing only briefly at the woman sitting at the table, bowed over her journal. She draped her damp clothes over the windowsill in the back then headed for the kitchen, selecting a round loaf of bread, some cheese and a knife from her storage cupboard. Carrying the makeshift meal over to the table she caught Allison peeking at her from beneath her eyelashes.

"Hungry?" she asked quietly. The redhead nodded and closed her journal, setting it to the side. Morgan followed Allison with her eyes in confusion as the young woman pushed away from the table and stepped outside. She cocked her head and sat back in her chair, wondering where she went. Morgan glanced over her shoulder as she heard a scuff on the porch and looked out the window to watch Allison head back in the cabin.

"I picked these earlier," Allison said in explanation as she emptied a pile of fruit onto the table from the pouch she'd made with the tail of her shirt. Morgan smiled gratefully at her and offered Allison a plate of bread and cheese. The captain stubbornly resisted her automatic urge to engage the redhead in conversation, trying desperately to maintain her detachment. Allison had kept her distance all day, the conversation between them kept to a minimum by the tasks she set herself. As the redhead shot her a tentative look she clamped her jaw, wanting more than anything to return the atmosphere to the familiar one that had started to develop over the previous days. Knowing that she had to try her hardest to keep that from happening, she polished off the last bit of food on her plate and pushed away from the table, wincing as her back protested the day's intense labor.

"Are you okay?" Allison inquired, her voice tinted with concern. Morgan nodded and moved reluctantly away from the warmth she saw in those amazing green eyes.

"I'm fine...just overdid it today." The captain retreated to the opposite side of the room, grabbing a book from her satchel as she went. Stifling a groan she sat on the floor under the window and opened the novel, pinning her eyes to the pages. A soft sigh drifted across the room as Allison turned back to the table and Morgan's eyelids fluttered shut for a moment as she heard a soft sniff.

"Are you okay, Miss Allison?" she asked softly. The young woman nodded without turning around.

"I'm fine, Captain." Morgan exhaled slowly and returned her attention to her book. As the sun slipped slowly towards the horizon the two women buried themselves in their respective pursuits, the silence broken only by the scratch of a quill and the turning of pages.

George stood on the balcony looking out over the harbor, a pensive frown dominating his face. Isabelle watched him from the doorway for a moment, then stepped up next to him and slipped her arm through his. George glanced down at his wife and smiled into her eyes, leaning down to brush a tender kiss against her brow before returning his gaze to the sea.

"What's wrong, dear," Isabelle asked gently, leaning her head against his shoulder. George patted her hand and nodded towards the harbor and the ships swaying with the movement of the waves.

"Soon her father's ship is going to sail in here, and our poor Morgan is going to fall to pieces again, Isabelle, and I don't know if we'll be able to put her back together this time, my love." Isabelle sighed softly and nodded.

"I know, darling, I know. We'll do our best. There's nothing else we can do. I just keep hoping that those two youngsters will realize what they have before they give it up." George looked down into his wife's eyes and smiled lovingly at her.

"I hope so too, love. But, unfortunately, I have a feeling that this is not going to be an easy time for either of them, and I don't think they'll have the time together to figure it out." Isabelle sighed softly.

"You didn't have any luck when you talked to Morgan, then?" she asked quietly. George shook his head regretfully.

"No. She wouldn't hear me. She kept talking over what I was trying to say, or change the subject. It's amazing, isn't it? That we can see the way they look at one another and they can't?" Isabelle laughed softly and reached up to kiss George sweetly on the cheek.

"Well, my dear, not everyone is as lucky as we were, and they have a few more obstacles." George nodded slowly, the expression on his face growing serious.

"How's Anne?" Isabelle shrugged a little and gripped the railing in front of her.

"She's getting better. She's still extremely angry, and I'm amazed that Henry is so oblivious that he can't see through the act she's putting on. I was at least right about how she would take it though. Apparently our daughter wasn't quite as enamored with her husband as we thought." George chuckled wryly, failing to hide a slight wince. Isabelle shot a concerned look at her husband and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Did the doctor stop by today?" she asked softly. George nodded, frowning down at the docks again. "What did he say?" George sighed.

"He says I need to slow down. He suggested that I ...that I turn my responsibilities over to Jack." Isabelle wrapped her arms around her husband and squeezed.

"George, I don't want to lose you. Maybe you should do that." George gazed down into her eyes and smiled adoringly at her.