*What am I going to do?* Maeve thought for the thousandth time this morning. Sean said he loved her, but did he really? Maeve had been let down by men so many times before, hurt, and left to cope with it on her own, without anyone to comfort her. Then there was Sinbad... She had feelings for him, but of what kind of feelings she was not sure. He constantly teased her and often criticized her magic... Maybe he didn't love her after all. He had never said that he did, so why should she think that he had even the slightest interest in her? The kiss after the incident with the Vorgon was great, but nothing had really changed afterward. But Sean, he knew what he felt and wasn't afraid to tell it. He was in love with her, Maeve just knew it, and her feelings for him were growing with every passing moment.
There were three, short, quiet knocks at the door, and Maeve knew it was Sean. "Come in," she said quietly and Sean stealthily made his way through the door and closed it noiselessly behind him.
"Alright, I've got a plan, but it's not much. I can guarantee that you're not much going to like it, and neither do I, but it's the only thing I can come up with," Sean said.
"I'd be willing to go along with almost anything at this point. What's your idea?"
"The Captain failed in his little 'mission' last night, right?"
"Yeah, and?" Maeve prompted.
"So he's probably going to try again in the near future. I mean, you are the only woman on the ship right now, and, well, you get the picture."
"Right. I'm liking this plan more and more," Maeve said sarcastically.
"Hey, I didn't say that it would be pretty. Anyway, my plan is basically this: 'Someone' will give the Captain a little encouragement to try again, you know, a little 'man-to-man' talk. Only, when he gets here, you're ready for him. Ready and willing, that is---"
"What!? You've got to be kidding!" Maeve exclaimed. This plan was going WAY too far!
"I don't mean that you're actually willing, you're just sort of pretending. Think of it as a way to get your acting career off the ground. Continuing with the plan: The Captain will be pleased to find you so... ahem, happy... to see him. He'll be completely off guard. It should be pretty easy to take him, then, and the others will come easily after the Captain. Without leadership, the little group will fall apart. We'll outnumber them and force them into a surrender."
"Sounds like a great plan to me. When do we start?" Maeve asked.
"Well, the Captain will no doubt try to make his move tonight, after being so rudely interrupted last night," Maeve flashed Sean a quick smile, "So why don't we just leave a sword under the covers on the bed. You do know how to use a sword, don't you?"
"Of course! I was on another ship before I ended up on this one, what's the name again?"
"The Night Raven," Sean supplied.
"Aye, the Night Raven. I was on a ship called the Nomad, with an extraordinary crew, and great friends. I hope to find my way back there when I've finished here. If the Captain of the Nomad has anything to do with it, they're probably on our heels as we speak."
"Oh. Okay, then, so now we have our plan. By the way, have you thought over what I told you earlier?" Sean said hopefully.
Maeve hesitated a bit before she answered. "Um, aye, I have. More than you know. Sean, you have to know that I've never really allowed anyone to get close to me, not since..... but that doesn't matter right now. I... My heart right now is a very uncertain thing. I don't know that I can--" but Sean cut Maeve's sentence short with a slow, sensual, passionate kiss. One that Maeve felt from her head to her toes, down deep in her bones and penetrating her very soul. Maeve scolded herself mentally for thinking of Sinbad in a time like this... When they parted, Maeve said, "Wha... What was I saying?"
"You were trying to tell me if you felt the same way for me that I do for you."
"Oh, that's right. Um, well, you're certainly being persuasive, aren't you?"
"Maeve, please stop stalling. I want to know your answer. Whether it's 'good' or 'bad' doesn't matter, I just want to know."
Maeve looked into Sean's eyes and saw the love that they held for her, and for a moment she thought of Sinbad, how she loved his eyes, but then the image of Sinbad was gone and there was only Sean, a man who was not afraid to show his love for her, one that she was not afraid to be open with. "Aye, Sean, I... I love you," she said. What else could she have said?
Sean then kissed Maeve again, wrapping his arms around her and pouring all his love into his actions. Maeve was cautious at first but then gladly responded.
Sean sensed her hesitation and couldn't help but ask, "Maeve, is there something you need to tell me?"
Maeve didn't know how to answer. She could just lie about it, push her feelings aside yet again, just like she always did, and try to make things easier.... No. Not this time. No matter how she felt about him, this man loved her, and he did not deserve to be lied to. "Aye, Sean. There is someone else."
"It's your Captain, isn't it?"
"How did you---"
"I saw the way your eyes lit up when you mentioned him earlier. What's his name?"
"Sinbad. Captain Sinbad."
"Does he know how you feel?" Sean asked.
"Sean, I don't even know how I feel about him. All I know is that I love you, here and now."
"You need to tell him. Otherwise you'll never know what you're missing out on."
"I know, it's just that I'm--"
"Afraid?" Sean guessed.
"Aye," Maeve admitted. "I've waited for such a long time for things to change between Sinbad and me, and nothing's happened. That's why I'm moving on now. To you," she added sweetly kissing him before allowing him to continue.
"Maeve, my love, there are enough things in life to be afraid of without adding relationships to the list. Speaking of which, one of them is going to begin in just a short while. I have to go now, Maeve. I'll be back in a moment with the sword, but I won't be able to stay long. The Captain will probably be coming late tonight, he has a lot to take care of topside. When he comes, remember to play along, but please, my love, be careful. I'll be waiting somewhere nearby for a sign that you're out and the Captain's subdued. I'll let as many others as I can know about what's going to happen so they'll be ready. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Maeve answered. She had only half-heard everything Sean had just said, for her mind was still on that heart-wrenching kiss and all that had come with it. With those last words Sean cautiously left the room to find a sword. He returned a few moments later and only stayed long enough to help Maeve hide the sword and give one last kiss good-bye before giving one last word of caution and quietly leaving the room.
*Dermott, have you still not heard anything from Maeve?* Sinbad asked in mindvoice.
*Sorry, Captain, but she's either unable to contact me or she's holding back for some reason. I've been trying for quite a while, but I don't think that she wants to talk. All I can do is catch a sort of glimpse of her emotions every now and then, but she I can't get any direct messages through.*
*But why would she not want to? Doesn't she want our help?*
*I'm pretty sure that she knows we're trailing behind the Night Raven. She's just... I'm not sure... confused? That must be it. She's confused over something and doesn't know how to deal with it.*
*But what could have her so confused that she won't talk to her own brother?*
*She often won't talk to me about you, Sinbad. I sometimes get the feeling of longing from her when she looks at you, but she won't usually open up with information on her feelings about you. In fact, she usually doesn't open up with much of anything.*
*Keep trying anyway. We need to know what's going on, whether she's confused over something or not.*
*Aye, aye, Captain,* Dermott said, and thus the communication ended.
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A Fact Of Life - Part 6