Uncharted Waters

"You'd best be careful, Gigi. You're lucky you can get in and out of the house so stealthily and that I'm such a wonderful friend that I'm willing to cover for you."

Madi sat on Gigi's bed as Gigi toweled off after her bath. "Yes, yes," Gigi said. "You are a saint. An angel, even."

"And don't you forget it." Madi nodded. Then she smirked. "So are you making any progress with lover boy?"

"He's very sweet and easily flustered," Gigi said, running a brush through her tangled hair.

"I'll say," Madi said. "He's a bit of an awkward sort. I'm sure he likes you though. No one can resist the charm of Gemma Griffith." She winked and Gigi smiled ruefully.

"Well I certainly hope so," Gigi sighed, shimmying into a night dress and flopping across her bed. "I'd hate to think I'm just acting foolish. What if I'm not his type?"

"Well of course you're his type, silly girl. Besides you'll be leaving in less than two weeks, and by then Uncle Ben will have made his decision about whether or not to keep Link on or not. It seems likely to me that he will, and then you'll be in close quarters with him all the time. Which may prove to be a bit dangerous for him, given how clumsy he seems to be. But if he's not smitten with you yet he will be soon enough."

Gigi laughed and pulled up her covers as Madi returned to her own room. Gigi had retrieved Link's book and the journal from the library when she came creeping back into the house, and now she picked them both up again and set them in her lap. She tucked her journal under her pillow and then snuggled down to read more of Link's book. She pictured him sitting in class and on campus, carefully observing his fellow students and the professors and scribbling notes all over the place before neatly compiling them all into this book; and she smiled.

Gigi was awake late into the night, losing track of the time as she read. She fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning and slept later than she meant to. The book was still open in her lap and she hastily stuffed a bookmark into it and moved to get dressed and fix her hair. Link was surely in the library with her father by now. She brushed her hair to a glossy sheen and left it loose around her shoulders before smoothing her dress for the tenth time. Then she scurried off to the library, surprised to find Link alone.

"Hi, Link!" she said brightly. He jumped in surprise, knocking over a stack of books. He lunged to try and catch them, banging his elbow on the edge of the table and sending another stack of books tumbling over too. Gigi went to help him pick them up, kneeling next to him.

"Do I make you nervous?" she asked with a small laugh. "Or have you always been so easily startled?"

"When I'm focused on my work I suppose it is easy easy to startle me," he mumbled, his face turning a little red again. They reached for a book at the same time, their fingers brushing. Gigi glanced up and met his gaze, his face reddening even more. Their hands were still touching and they were only a few inches apart. Gigi's breath caught slightly in her throat, then the door banged open. Link sprang back from her as if burned, falling backward and nearly braiding himself on the edge of the desk.

"Good heavens, did a tornado tear through here?" Ben asked, surveying the mess.

"No, Daddy, just me," Gigi said, scooping up the book and standing. "I snuck up on poor Link a bit, I'm afraid."

"Ah, I should have known it was my little blue eyed tempest," Ben said with a chuckle. "You're up later than usual."

"I was up late last night, reading Link's book," she explained. "It's quite fascinating, Daddy, I'm sure you're going to love it."

"Gigi inherited my love of all things historical and scientific," Ben told Link as he helped straighten out the fallen books.

"I imagine sailing the globe for years you've all seen and discovered plenty of amazing things," Link said wistfully. Gigi noticed her father glance at him with a look that was part thoughtful, part troubled. Her eyes flicked between the two of them, frowning slightly. But Link turned to ask Ben a question and the look vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Gigi shook it off and thought she must have imagined it.

Ben and Gigi both insisted that Link join them for dinner again, speaking over his protests in unison until he gave in and agreed.

"Here every day like clockwork. Aren't you bored of us all yet, Lincoln?" Evelyn said teasingly as they all sat down.

"Not at all, Mrs. Tully," Link replied politely. "I'm actually dreading the day you all get bored of me and kick me out."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Scarlett said, flashing a brief, amused look at Ben. "My husband seems rather keen on taking you aboard the Spirit when we leave, and Benji considers you his new best friend."

Gigi met her mother's gaze and Scarlett gave her a quick wink. Benji suggested Link join them again for their nightly post dinner walk, and Link seemed to have finally realized that no one among the Tully's or the Griffith's took no for an answer and allowed himself to be herded out into the twilight by the twins and Gigi. Madi and Benji quickly started arguing about some nonsensical thing and Gigi walked beside Link, content to linger behind the bickering siblings. She kept her hands clasped behind her back but walked close to him.

"You don't really like your team much, do you?" Gigi asked suddenly. Link looked startled.

"Why do you say that?"

"You seemed nervous when they came home last night. I could tell you didn't want them to know I was there."

"They're not the most sophisticated group," Link muttered. "I didn't want them bothering you. That was rather impressive, the way you climbed out my window."

Gigi laughed lightly and bumped his shoulder. "I'm full of surprises."

Link was about to reply when they heard a grunt of pain and a shriek of outrage down a side street ahead of them.

"That's Madi!" Gigi exclaimed. She was already moving swiftly up the street, rounding the corner to see a group of young thugs had cornered her friends. One was holding Madi roughly by the arms while three others surrounded Benji, who was kneeling on the ground with some blood dripping from his nose while one snatched his pocket watch.

"You let them go this instant," Gigi snarled, stepping into the mouth of the alley. The ruffians laughed.

"Are you going to make us?" one of them asked with a smirk. Gigi advanced on him, blue eyes going hard and cold as ice.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she spat. "I'm going to give you just this one warning, and if you don't let my friends go and give him back the pocket watch you stole, I'm going to make you regret it."

"Gemma, perhaps this is a bit rash-" Link started, but Madi shook her head.

"Don't worry about her," she said. The man who had spoken to Gigi stepped forward, getting in her face and crowding her.

"I'm not afraid of a pretty little doll in a fancy dress," he said.

"You're about to be," Gigi replied. He barely had time to even blink before Gigi had landed a solid punch to his throat. As he stumbled back, choking, she kicked him hard in the shin to bring him to his knees, then took a quick step back and kicked him square in the face, snapping his head back. The other would-be thieves looked on in stunned silence as he slumped onto the ground with a groan of pain.

Another one of them moved away from Benji and rushed her. Gigi had her electrified ring at the ready, knocking him to his feet with a powerful jolt. He flew back, his clothes smoking slightly and his hair standing on end. The man holding Madi let out a yelp as she stepped on his toe and wrenched away. Gigi had her two slim knives out of her boots and in her hands fast as a breath, and as the two remaining men lunged at her she slashed one across the cheek. She swung at the last man and he flung his hand up to block his face, so the blade cut across his palm.

"Now give my friend his watch back," Gigi said, pointing the blade tips at their throats as they held their wounds. The man with the bleeding face hurled the pocket watch at Benji as he climbed to his feet.

"Good. Now all of you get out of here before I decide to stop being nice," she said evenly. They helped their fiends to their feet and the four of them slunk quickly away into the evening shadows, Link moving aside to let them pass. Gigi flicked the blood from her knives before returning them to her boots.

"Are you two all right?" she asked, checking Madi and Benji for any serious injuries.

"They punched poor Benji in the stomach and face, but I think he's all right," Madi said. She glared in the direction the men had gone. "Pigs," she muttered.

Gigi looked up to see Link gaping at her. "That was something," he said after a moment.

"I told you, I'm full of surprises." Gigi gave him a crooked little half smile. "I'm going to take Benji home. I do hope I haven't scared you away," she added with a laugh.

"Oh...no, no not at all," Link stammered quickly.

"Good." Gigi planted a quick kiss on his cheek before bidding him goodnight and ushering the Tully twins back home.