With you I'm in my mind,without you I'm out of it;

[Ashton Wentworth]

He hated boats. There was no way about it. Of course the prison was best located on an island, but ever since that mass break out that had happened all of those years ago they had placed anti-apparation charms the whole path and enforced security in ways that even he wasn't allowed to know. He wouldn't be surprised if only the Minister himself knew exactly how well it was guarded now. It seemed like only yesterday he had been making this exact same trip, of course that had been a far more professional matter, with only slightly personal inflections, this one was all personal. He was going to use his badge to get his way for personal gain, something that he hadn't ever done before and knew that he shouldn't be doing now. He just couldn't stop himself. He had to go there, he had to see her, there was no other way around it. He needed to be there whenever she stepped off of the grounds and into the salty sea air. He needed to see her hair whipping about her face and the angry look on her face. He needed her to know that it was him who was the one to get her out early. The ministry had wanted to let her stew in there for months, with no permanent release date. They had just figured, that the longer that she had in there, the better. They wanted to alienate all of Darren's family from him, even if Ashton knew from personal experience with the man that he wouldn't have cared in the least that she was wasting away in a prison. He could see the tips of the triangular prison poking up out of the clouds in the distance, it wouldn't be too long before he was able to see her face again. Things had been left, on less than favorable circumstances. Of course, he didn't feel like he was wholly in the wrong about the whole thing, but he was willing to put worth the first efforts, for the first time in his life. She had almost killed him after all, anger like that wasn't so easy to let go of. He knew that very well. Of course, he was banking on the fact that she was going to take a good look at him, and reconsider a few things. He knew that she was stubborn and pig headed, just like he was at times but even Ashton could see reason.

There was no way to even imagine what she had to of been going through this past couple of days. It was likely the longest 48 hours of her life. Of course, that wasn't counting the booking times and the time that it was going to take for them to clear her out of her cell and escort her down into the holding tank to release her into his personal custody. Ashton found himself standing in the far too small bathroom on the charter boat that was closing the small distance between him and the prison. He was almost nervous as to what he was going to see whenever he arrived. He knew that the same cold would overcome him, and the nerves that were keeping his mouth constantly dry were only going to intensify. His hands gripped the porcelain bowl of the sink until his knuckles were starting to turn white. His head bowed, stray pieces of hair falling down in front of his eyes and his chest was moving at an irregular rhythm as he attempted to keep from getting sick. He wasn't sure why he felt so awful, dread chewing at the insides of him body. He couldn't explain it. She was just as much at fault here, he was coming out of his way to make a gesture to her, to attempt to clear the air and put everything behind him. Exhaling slowly through parted lips he released his grasp and turned on the cold water faucet, dipping his hands below the stream and allowing them to become covered in liquid and brought them to his face. He let the cold shrink his heated skin back into place and turned off the faucet with one hand, running his hand down his face with the other before reaching for the small off white towel that was sitting next to the small bar of soap and drying his hands and face. Pushing his still slightly damp hands back through his hair and righted himself. The bathroom was cramped, he was far too tall for something like this, if he were to put his elbows out on either side of his body, he wouldn't even be able to stick them out fully. He pressed himself up against the far wall opposite the door as bed as he could, his head backing into the tiny circular window as he pried the door open and squeezed out of the restroom. Glancing once more into the mirror at the reflection of a man that he didn't recognize. His hair felt strange, it was stuck down for the first time that he could recall. Not even on his wedding did he attempt to tame his hair. That had to mean something, right?

Holding onto the railing of the boat he made his way toward the bow of the boat, where a couple of the armed escorts were playing a rather heated game of poker at a small square metal table that was bolted down to the floor. Their chairs weren't bolted, and Ashton wasn't really sure where they had even come from but the weight of the escorts were keeping them in place. Thankful for the extra chair that she had weighted down with a large rock and a couple of their tranquilizer guns he moved forward to them, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it along the way. They moved their guns and left Ashton to move the rock, never stopping their game for even a second lest the other get a chance to look at the cards. He imagined them to have some sort of magical adhesive or else he had no clue how they managed to get the cards to stay in place whenever the wind was whipping about so. He had no intentions of joining them, not that he didn't enjoy a good round of cards every now and then, but he needed to focus, he needed to steady his nerves. Listening to them argue and issue petty threats was just the thing to do the trick until they arrived and judging by the fact that the boat was starting to slow, he imagined that was going to be very soon indeed. He felt like a fool, his head felt hot and he had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was something that he had never felt before, and he didn't care for it, he could never feel this way again and it would be too soon. Up until this very moment he had been too focused on not allowing the Ministry officials to make an example out of Kaydence that he hadn't even stopped to focus on his motivations, or what he was going to do once she was free again. Something that he should have through about a long time ago, he should have just let her serve her sentence and then be done with it.

The men started to wrap up their game and Ashton gathered his small things onto his person. Tucking his wand into his back pants pocket, making sure that his badge was shining from his neck and putting his coins and cigarettes into the inside pocket of his jacket. Everybody was filing off. Last time there had been the whole process of checking everybody into the building, but they didn't have to worry about that this time since it was a pick up, and not a drop off. They had checked Ashton before they had left and since he had been making fairly frequent visits to the prison as of late, they were all almost on first name basis with one another. He had been visiting Isis every week, asking her for information, and he felt that she was starting to get worn down, but who could really know what was going on inside the twisted inner workings of her mind. The escorts would walk him to the door, talk more about Quidditch and poker until Ashton was done, and then they would escort him back. Basically, they just kept him dementor free, which was a wonderful thing and he doubted that they got paid enough for what they did. Having to work in such a miserable local all the time had to be thankless. At least they had each other, and their poker games. Stopping on the small patch of grass leading into the walk way he just had to focus on allowing his feet to carry him into the building and not over think it. Flicking the butt of his cigarette off of the edge of this miserable rock and into the ocean as it lapped up at the sides of the shore he once again smoothed down the top of his hair. Nodding to the escorts as they grew closer to the door. He could hear every single footstep resounding ten fold inside of his head, the steady thumping was keeping him from turning around and running to hide on the boat until they docked, she wouldn't even have to really know that he had been there in the first place. In his free hand, he held a special package for her, wrapped in plain brown packing paper, the type that butchers were apt to use.

Passing through the doors he held up his badge for the man at the counter to see. He was a rather portly fellow, obviously had been sitting behind that desk for far too long. That, or the prolonged exposure to the dementors had caused him to abandon any need to take care of himself a long time ago. The man acted like he recognized Ashton, like they ought to be old friends. Of course, working a job like this for who knows how long was bound to kill a person's social life since there was no good conversation to be had, and It looked like a lot of lunches spent alone. Forcing a half smile he approached the desk and pulled the clip board with the inmate release form over to his frame. Kaydence would have no idea how long she was going to be incarcerated, and he had pulled a lot of strings to get her released this early. She was going to be released into his custody. Of course, he knew that given how angry she was bound to be with him it wasn't going to mean very much because she would want to just be on her angsty way without so much as a word to him. Yet, here he was anyway. He placed the package on the counter without a word, and allowed the man behind the desk to pass him the clipboard full of forms. Ashton was far too impatient to sit down and fill them out, and it wasn't like he had other people that he needed to get to. He started to fill out the various lines as the man behind the counter started to lift all of Kaydence's possessions up and over the counter, the same damned purple pumps that she had been wearing whenever she had been taken into custody, no doubt whenever they brought her down she would have been given the same cloths to change into. Personally, he wouldn't have minded seeing her in the black and white pinstripes for just a moment before she glared him down. Her being barefoot on this floor would just have to suffice though, her shoes could easily have been used as a weapon, not against the dementors of course but against himself so he would just hold onto them until he saw what state of mind she was in. They pulled up the contents of her pocket and then the transcripts of her visit. The profanities that she had used whenever she threatened the dementors, her sleeping habits while she had been here as well as her list of visitors. That was the only thing out of the lot that had interested Ashton at all. He hadn't been expecting anybody to have come and visited her, it wasn't an easy thing to do. The person must have been somebody with connections in order to get here at all. He was going to have to ask the guards about it since they were the ones that would have been forced to escort the person. There was only four of them, and these two were the only ones that worked on the weekends, which was how long that she had been here.

Finishing the form he pulled the transcripts toward him, noting that she hadn't been eating too much. He couldn't blame her, feeling that miserable was hardly conducive to food. Plus it was likely the same thing every day and her highness wouldn't have stood for that. If nothing else, it should have been a humbling experience for her. Moving to the visitors he only saw one name. Maverick Dresner. His eyes widened, it was a man? She hadn't called for Ashton, but she had summoned this other person to come and see her in this short time frame? How else would he have even known that she had been incarcerated at all? No, it couldn't be right. Who the hell was Maverick Dresner? Was there even more secrets that he didn't know about? Ashton flipped to the next page in the log which was the form that Maverick had filled out to be permitted into the holding cells, under relation, he had just put 'personal' what the hell was that supposed to mean? Suddenly he felt even more daft for bothering to put his neck out for her sake in the first place. He had almost even jeopardized Rutherford's opinion of him, something that he wouldn't have been able to get back no matter how he had apologized and she was here consorting with other men. He knew that the next page in the list would have been the transcript of every word that had been spoken between them during visitation, and while modestly curious, he couldn't bring himself to turn the page. He gripped onto the pages, causing them to crinkle and he slammed them back down next to her shoes. “Let her out. I'll be outside” he barked at the man who didn't deserve it and marched back out the doors, ignoring the questions that the two men standing outside were asking him. Ripping the brown paper from around the bouquet of flowers he tossed it to the ground and the wind instantly carried it away. Ashton threw the assortment of colorful flowers on the ground save one, not wanting to bother with even letting her see them. The first time that he had ever bought something for a women other than a ring and it was for nothing. He extracted another cigarette and ignited it. He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. Putting the stick between his two fingers he bent in half, placing his hands on his knees as he heaved, breath becoming more and more ragged with every moment. This man must have been the reason that she had been refusing him this whole time. The level of her betrayal went far deeper than he had ever realized. She had made him care for her, really care for her despite all of this and for nothing.

Standing up he began to take rapid puffs from his cigarette to calm himself, hardly allowing himself to properly exhale before moving onto the next drag. Tossing the spare plume to the ground he felt moderately better as he heard the petals crunch underneath the heel of his boot. He ground the thing into the ground to make him feel better, all the while keeping his back turned on the guards who were no doubt looking at him with pity. He knew that they had to be whispering about him, and he knew that if he were to hear any of it, he was going to want to harm them so it was best to just ignore them all together. He was going to just have to head back to the boat. They could wait for Kaydence and escort her, he knew the long and narrow path well enough not to go staggering off the edges. Even if he did feel that doing just that might make him feel infinitely better. Staggering away from the lot of flowers he walked at a slow, but determined pace. He heard the giant steel doors open behind him, good. Let her look at nothing but his retreating back. She would have had to know that he had seen the transcripts, she was too smart not too. He was the fool here, again.



--Closed/Kaydence

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence felt disgusting. Every part of her felt grimy and greasy, especially her hair which hadn’t been washed in two days now. Her baggy white and black striped uniform hung loosely from her bones, making certain ones stick out at such angles to give her the appearance of being sickly and frail. She hadn’t eaten well at all this weekend but not enough to make her drastically lose ten pounds as the uniform was trying to suggest. Upon check-in, larges were the only size they had left so she had been forced to take the clothing without protest. To complete her prison look, her feet had been adorned with dirty white slip-ons. She nearly vomited when she had slid her feet into the thin shoes, having an awful feeling in her gut that they had been properly cleaned after their previous owner. Her gloomy surroundings didn’t make Kaydence look any better. She had been locked in a five by seven cell that had an uncomfortable cot, a small toilet and a sink with no mirror. The mattress of the cot, if it could even be called that, was thin enough to make her feel every spring of the bed frame. She had barely been able to sleep because of it. When she had, the sleep had been in short intervals, lasting no longer than a few minutes at time. There was a point yesterday in which she had been able to sleep for about an hour, but that was the longest amount of obliviousness she was given. The cold temperature of the prison didn’t help matters either. Nor did the window that was broken in the corner to give access to mists of rain from protective storms surrounding Azkaban. To say that it was miserable was being kind. Kaydence saw it as being in Hell.

Her current surroundings and appearance were a far cry from the woman who had walked in two days earlier. Her looks had been so fashionable upon arrival that she could feel the stares of every single guard on her as she passed by. Clearly they weren’t used to seeing good-looking women on a daily basis. Her clothing had been cleaner, more suitable to her personality. The drab clothing she wore now made her feel like a sleazy criminal, which she knew damn well she was a far cry from. The only reason she was here anyway was because of the being that had been let out when her dark mark had been exposed. Kaydence had noticed that anytime her mark was visible, another side took hold of her. One that more stubborn, controlling and not afraid to do what needed to be done to save her own ass. It had given Ashton a swift ass-kicking at the beginning of the weekend when he had been sent to deliver her to the Ministry of Magic for questioning. It had also flared up some during the actual interviewing when both Ashton and Stavros had drilled her for answers in regards to her brother. Besides her relation to Darren and the physical attack on a Ministry official, there were no other reasons why she needed to be here. She had no qualms with stating that over and over. She didn’t go around making crime her life. They had no proof that she did anything to warrant such serious repercussions as an indefinite stay in Azkaban. Sure she had done some bad things in her past but they paled in comparison to more horrifying things she knew her brother’s active DeathEaters did on a daily basis.

Of course they didn’t matter though. Kaydence did. She was the only one that the Ministry could get their hands on to hold for questioning. The idiots had no idea how worthless she was to their investigation on her brother. Four years was more than enough time for old habits to change and new personalities to develop. From her initial confrontation with Darren at Gringotts, time didn’t appear to have changed much. Though the overwhelming darkness about him was evident. He had grown more into his role as a Dark Lord. Everything about him had been sinister, from the way he looked to the way he spoke to her. She was unaware of what he had been up to in her time away but her brother was a completely different person. She couldn’t provide any information to anyone as to what had happened to make him stupid enough to expose himself to the world. Naturally, that wasn’t good enough. Anything Kaydence said had to be a lie. She was pretty sure she had almost caused a vein to pop in Stavros’ forehead when she grew tired of not being taken seriously and told him to go to hell. That could have also been a significant reason why she had so promptly been placed on a rickety old boat and sent through the dangerous waters of the North Sea to Azkaban prison. It was a terrible excuse to condemn someone to such an awful place, but if they wanted to blame her treachery on her dark mark then there was nothing she could do about it. She hadn’t been involved in DeathEater activities for almost five years. Even before then, there was nothing Kaydence considered to be really heinous. Maybe a bit of torturing every now and then, but that was the extent of it. She had never killed anyone, that the Ministry knew about, nor plotted with her brother on how to take over the world.

None of that could compare to ire feelings she had towards Ashton though. Kaydence could accept the Ministry taking rash actions to lock her behind bars to try and make an example of her that they could parade around to the public. They were clawing at any chance to make the public like them again so it was only natural for their first *lead* to be announced to the world. However, she couldn’t help but to blame everything on Ashton. He was the reason why she was here. He had been the one who had been too prideful to let someone else try to come and bring her to the Ministry. He had to keep sticking his nose in business it didn’t belong to. She couldn’t fathom why he couldn’t leave her alone. She had thought that had been bad enough. During the questioning, he once again found the ability to make her hate him almost as much as she hated her brother. He had pulled out the Claddagh ring Evan had given her back when they were eighteen. It had been Kaydence’s most beloved possession, even after it had slipped from her finger in the midst of packing as fast as she could to avoid her brother and father killing her. The only way Ashton could have gotten the ring was if he had entered Morgan Manor and searched her room, which she knew he had. It shouldn’t have come as big of a shock as it had. The Ministry was inevitably going to search her family’s home for clues regarding the Dark Lord as well as the family in general. That didn’t mean she still couldn’t be angered by the invasion of privacy. As much as the home wasn’t hers anymore, everything in her room still was. Ashton had no right to go in there and mess with her things, especially taking one of them to keep on him until he saw her again.

Kaydence couldn’t stand for anymore hurt, lack of privacy and betrayal. The ring had pushed her to the edge. She had never had anyone meddle so much in her life before. Honestly, she thought she had been extremely patient when it came to telling someone to screw off who so blatantly ignored her request. One of the last things she had said to Ashton had been that she wanted to never see him again, again, and that she’d rather be locked in Azkaban if that’s what it took to keep her away from him. And that was exactly what she got. The dementors had proved an almost grateful distraction. She had been forced to endure some of the most painful memories of her life over and over again. The sinking feeling in her stomach had been so bad at times that she had actually thrown up or been forced to curl up in a ball on her pathetic cot to do anything to take the pain away. Before this, Kaydence had never been around dementors before. These two days were enough to last her for a lifetime. Though the harsh reality was that there was no end in sight. She was in the dark as to how long she would be here. She couldn’t lie. The thought of staying here for months on end was terrifying. She had done her best to act as if she could handle it. Even if Ashton knew that she was faking it, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it. The only thing she had been concerned about was Luka, which she made sure to note that if anything happened to him under the Ministry’s watch that she would have no issue with suing. He was the only living thing she missed. It was sad how a dog was the only thing that needed her and loved her unconditionally. If that was what Kaydence was destined to be, then she didn’t think it would be too horrible in the long run. Luka was more entertaining to be around then Ashton any day.

Raindrops were leaking from the window in a steady rhythm. They had been for an hour now and the sound was driving her mad. Kaydence was sitting with her back against the cold cement wall, her knees curled up against her chest with her arms wrapped around them. She had been sitting like this for hours, staring blankly at the wall ahead of her. The screams and yells from prisoners around her were horrible. They all sounded like they were being tortured. One was even begging for the guards to let him out before the darkness took over, like it hadn’t already. Somehow, the drops of rain were louder than anything around her. It could have been just because they were in her cell, or maybe because listening to anything else was better than the misery of the witches and wizards around her. Kaydence wished it would all stop. If she could get even a moment’s peace she would be satisfied. Asking for peace around here was like asking to be released; it just wasn’t going to happen. Instead, she was forced to listen to that damn rain making her floor colder than it already was. This was a position she had never seen herself in. Merlin was it pathetic. She was too good to be one of these people. She didn’t deserve to be here. She wasn’t a criminal. As if on cue, depression washed over her. A damn dementor must have been hovering outside of her window. Kaydence could tell one was really close by when the feeling hit her like a brick wall. It was no wonder people went mad here. She had no clue had some prisoners had managed to last years. If she was forced to be here any longer than a week she’d probably have no choice but to find a way to off herself.

“MORGAN!”

For the first time since she had been sitting, Kaydence turned her head in the direction of the sound. Last time her name had been shouted she had been visited by Maverick. Had he come back? She waited for the guard to come closer. “Up and at ‘em, Morgan. You’re being released.” Her brows furrowed in confusion. Released? Was this some sort of sick joke? As if knowing what she was thinking, the guard quickly answered her as he was placing his wand near the lock of her door. “Your release papers were signed. You’re free to go.” Even as the door slid slowly open, she didn’t move. How was that even possible? She had only been in there for two days. Stavros had told her she would be there for weeks, at very least. What was going on? “Are you going to move or what? I don’t have all day.” She glared at him, though extended her long legs to the floor. Sliding towards the edge of the cot, Kaydence placed her hands on either side and pushed up. Her legs felt weak from the position they had been in for so long so it took a moment for her to get her footing. When she did, she walked out of the cell and stood next to the guard. “Why’d they let me out?” she asked, waiting for the guard to begin walking before she did. The man shrugged, grasping her arm as he began to lead them down the hallway. “I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told. All I know is for someone like you, you must have a guardian.” There she was being compared to a damn criminal again. She bit down on her tongue to refrain from making some smartass comment. Knowing her luck, he’d change his mind and throw her back in that awful cell, completely disregarding her release.

Fortunately, he didn’t. He led her to an elevator shaft that required key card access to open it. Once it did, there were two other guards inside on opposite ends armed. Keeping her gaze to the floor, Kaydence turned around once she was in and waited for the doors to close. As they did and the lift began moving downwards, anticipation began growing. There were still so many questions she had, but she’d wait to ask them. She just wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a trick, that she would be out of here within the next few minutes. The elevator stopped a minute later. When the doors opened again, she was greeted with the sight of the hallway she had entered in. Her eyes widened, exhaling deeply out of relief. Her arm was pulled and she was dragged to a room off to the side where the clothes and her fabulous purple pumps were waiting for her. “Change quickly. No funny business.” Like she would really jeopardize being so close to escape. Kaydence waited for the guards to leave before closing the door behind them. Locking it, she laid her back and head against it and closed her eyes, doing her best not to cry tears of happiness. She breathed in and out deeply for a few seconds before opening her eyes back up and pushing off from the wall. Without another moment’s hesitation, she stripped down and quickly pulled her denim jeans over her exposed legs. Grabbing the purple flannel shirt, she slid her arms through the sleeves and buttoned the middle of her shirt starting from the bottom and working her way up. Placing her pumps on the floor next to her she placed her feet in both and wiggled them in until they were both secure. Her face was still make-up free and her hair a hot mess, but at least her hair felt tamable. There was no one Kaydence needed to impress so for once, she didn’t fret about her looks and hurriedly walked to the door, unlocking it and then opening it.

The guards were waiting. Turning as she entered the hallway, they positioned themselves to lead her out to the exit. This time, thankfully, none of them put her hands on her. However, she did hear the rather inappropriate comments the two that had been in the elevator in the beginning were making. Ignoring what they were saying was the best thing for her to do. Upon reaching the entrance desk, the guards stopped Kaydence and made her sign her signature upon her release papers. That was when she saw his name. Instantly, her good mood vanished. Ashton had been the one to sign her out. He was here, waiting for her. Her lips formed into a straight line, doing her best to calm down as her arm began shaking. He had so much damn nerve for doing this. Once again completely disregarding anything she asked and coming to pick her up. She specifically remembered saying that she didn’t ever want to see him again. What was so hard to understand about that? She slammed the pen down on the desk top and pushed the clipboard to the desk attendant as she finished. The man gave her a strange look before pressing a button next to him. A buzzing sounded followed by the sounds of several locks sliding out of place. Finally, the massive steel doors she had walked through two days ago opened. The weather hadn’t changed in the slightest. It was still cloudy, grey and raining. A gust of wind blew in indicating that she hadn’t escaped the cold one bit. Sighing, Kaydence began to walk towards the door. As she approached them, she finally saw him. His back was turned and he was walking away, but she knew it was Ashton. Her fists tightened at her sides. He had the balls to release her, but couldn’t even wait for her? She was so tired of his mind games. So, so tired.

Kaydence continued walking. Stepping out of the entrance, she stopped for a moment to take another deep breath. Punching Ashton in the face wasn’t worth more time in Azkaban. Wasn’t it? No. She forced herself to look off to the side to try and focus on something to get her nerves back on track. She cocked her head to the side as she saw a bouquet of ruffled flowers rolling in the wind, on their way to the edge of the huge rock Azkaban rested on. It was a strange sight to see. They weren’t normal for the island, that much was certain. So what were they doing there? Somehow, Kaydence felt like there was significance about them, but she couldn’t understand why. Just another question to add to the list that kept growing with every minute. Shaking her head, she looked forward and continued after him. She had no intentions of talking to him. It would be for the best. Even though she was grateful for her release, she was still too hurt to listen to any explanation he had to offer, if there even was one. He could have just been getting his stalking fix. It wouldn’t have surprised her. The boat was getting closer and closer. The comments from the guards behind her were getting more and more vulgar. Once she had reached the dock Kaydence had finally had enough. Turning around, she stopped the guards in their tracks. “That’ll be enough boys,” she said, loud enough to get the message through, “I don’t think its proper protocol to harass former female inmates, is it now? Roll your tongues back in your mouth and be on your way.” Smirking, she turned back on her heel and stomped away.

Ashton was close to getting on the boat. Without realizing it, she called out to him. “Ashton!” Her eyes widened, unsure of why she had just done that. He stopped, but didn’t turn around. At least she had that much saving grace. He was waiting. She didn’t know what to say. The anger that she had was slowly subsiding for some bizarre and completely unwelcomed reason. Fortunately, her anger over not being so angry anymore was enough to pick up her pace. “I’d prefer not to be hassled by anymore of your ‘guards’ if you don’t mind,” she said, pushing past to get in front of him. Kaydence had no desire for eye contact just as much as he didn’t. Gingerly placing one foot in front of the other to get on the boat, she pushed away the hand of the captain who tried to help her and stormed up towards the bow. She didn’t stop until she had reached the railings near the edge of the boat, placing both hands beside her and lowering her head. She was free, but how come freedom feel as sweet as it should have?

[Ashton Wentworth]

This was humiliating, there was this hollow aching in his chest. He felt like there was something sucking the life out of his chest, leaving his cigarette dangling from his lips and bent in half, his palms resting on his knees as he struggled to breath. He could only hope that the men weren't looking at him. Normally, he didn't give a damn what people thought about him, but this time he couldn't help but want to be alone right now. Even now, whenever she was locked up behind bars she was managing to pull the shades down over his eyes and only lt him see what she wanted him to. Would she even give a damn that he was getting her out early? Was it too late to turn around and take it back? Could he send her back to her dank prison cell and only come visit her? He shouldn't even visit her. She hadn't earned his devotion, why oh why did she always manage to have it then? His gut wrenched, and he heard movement coming from behind him. Choosing to ignore the inevitable he focused on the lack of birds in the sky, the whipping spray of the ocean coming up over the rocks edge. He knew that the back of the triangle prison was always half bathed in water by the waves. He wouldn't want to be one of those prisoners, always getting salt water in the cell. He personally felt miserable with wet feet, but to always have wet feet? He brought his trembling hand to his mouth where he extracted the cigarette and righted himself to his full height. He felt weak, so damned foolish. He felt like the egg was really on his head. His eyes were starting to betray him and he couldn't understand why. All logic told him that there was nothing here, that he was sticking his neck out for a woman who had said time and time again that she wanted nothing to do with him. It was his own stubborn pride that was always telling him that she didn't really mean it, that she was only attempting to spare him from something that he knew nothing about...but she had been honest. Deep down he knew that.

He needed to get go, but there was just something within him that kept her name latched to his brain. He couldn't shake it, and now he had missed his once in a lifetime opportunity to see her in prison stripes. His feet were dragging, every few moments he was making a step toward the boat with every intention of just dangling off of the side. He heard footsteps somewhere behind him but didn't want to look at her, he didn't want to once again see her smug look of satisfaction on her face as she had won over him once more. The gloating, he couldn't take it, not now. Most of all not while his face was still yellow in the spots where she had hit him only days ago. She needed to let him heal, at least a little before dragging him back down again. She had to be decent enough for that right?“Ashton!” Apparently not. He stopped in his tracks, waiting. He knew that if he didn't she was just going to come up on him quicker, she had to be first on the boat and he should have expected no less. She just had to be first at everything, had to try to control every little aspect. Ashton knew that whatever comment came spilling out of her mouth was just going to be something arrogant about how she didn't even need or want him here. He shoved his hands into his pockets, lifting his shoulders closer to his ears so that the collar of his jacket could at least attempt to keep his neck warm. He went about puffing aimlessly at the almost dead cigarette in his mouth, the wind threatening to take it from him at every chance. She moved in front of him, and he chose to avert his gaze, focusing on those stupid purple pumps once more. “I’d prefer not to be hassled by anymore of your ‘guards’ if you don’t mind,” He scoffed, lifting his head to her retreating frame.

What nerve. That was all that she had to say for herself? Not even so much as a thank you for her obviously shortened sentence? She obviously couldn't begin to comprehend the trouble that he had gone through to get her out this early. He felt miserable for having put her here in the first place, even if she had done it to herself. He couldn't refrain from blaming himself and she was just as ungrateful as ever. It must run in the family Spitting the butt of his cigarette out to the ground, he stomped on it on his way past. He could hear his guard friends jogging behind him to catch up and not get left behind and Ashton doubled his pace, wanting to get to them before they put her in restraints for walking off from them in the first place. He could feel his jaw clench, and his check begin to pulse. He followed her to where she was on the boat with a frown. “That's all you have to say to me?” He spat, his eyes like fire. He was beyond angry, how hard would it have been to just let him lick his wounds in peace? She really had to rub salt in the wound? “What is wrong with you?!” He grew closer to her, feeling a lot bigger than he actually was “The very least you can say is thank you for pulling your ungrateful ass out of that festering suck pool.” He grew closer to her and wrinkled his nose in disgust “I can put you right back in there if I wanted to.” He threatened, but knew there was no point to it. The best he could do was another 24 lockup. His chest heaved again, and he felt his hand trembling, his anger was fading to quickly. “Why don't you just go inside and leave me alone” His tone was defeated, he crossed over to the small table that the guards had been playing their poker at on the way up here and took a seat. It would be warmer for her inside and the guards were going to want to clear her on how to act whenever they got back to the mainland, to cover the basics of her out processing. She still had some more paperwork to fill out after all. Ashton just wanted to sit in the rain until he felt better. Or froze.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence felt nauseous. Literally sick to her stomach. Gasping for air, she did her best to slow her breathing. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to hyperventilate. That wouldn’t do any good whatsoever. Not only would she be forced to heave, but it would be just that. She hadn’t eaten at all today. She had refused breakfast. Something about the yellowish color of the oatmeal or yogurt or whatever it was supposed to be wasn’t appetizing in the slightest. What she needed was a full meal. That would take some of the edge off. People usually weren’t in their right minds when they had nothing on their stomachs and throbbing pains in their heads. Looking at the water wasn’t helping matters either. Taking a deep breath Kaydence closed her eyes and brought her head backwards to face the sky. She couldn’t let the rush of everything get to her. Ashton, getting out of prison, Ashton, her nausea, Ashton. She frowned. Why the hell did that asshole always find a way to weasel himself into her thoughts? Why? He was by no means helping her anxiety. In fact, he was probably making it worse. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he was going to come storming to her, bitch and moan about how much she sucked and then go pout. What was even more sickening was the thought that she was becoming to know him better than he knew himself. Groaning, she took another deep breath. How long was it going to take for this boat to get moving? Kaydence needed any sort of distraction possible to keep her mind from wandering back to the male who couldn’t accept not being in it.

She heard his footsteps before his voice. Keeping her eyes firmly closed, Kaydence waited for them to stop. What part of her actions indicated that she didn’t want to be left alone? No, she had made herself perfectly clear. It was Ashton’s stubbornness that blinded him from the facts. “That’s all you have to say to me? What is wrong with you?” It was just as she had expected. While she understood how upset he was that he hadn’t gotten a thank you, he was forgetting one very important thing. The last words she had spoken to him at the Ministry had been true. Even if her heart didn’t mean it, her head did. “The very least you can say is thank you for pulling your ungrateful ass out of that festering suck pool.” Irritation quickly flooded over her. He was only a foot or two away from her now. Had he forgotten that he had been the one to put her there? Neither of them would have been in this position if he wouldn’t have come to retrieve her like some Ministry bitch boy. There was a very good chance that Kaydence wouldn’t have been carted off to Azkaban if it hadn’t been for Ashton’s involvement. How could he honestly expect her to forgive him for what he had done? He knew damn well that she would not have gone without a fight. At least with another Ministry official, the fight would have ended sooner and her ability to flee would have increased. Of course things wouldn’t be that easy though. Ashton was frustratingly good at interfering in her life. It was like he was using his Ministry connections to stalk her. He had already used them to invade her room at the Manor. She wouldn’t have been at all surprised if he had been in her condominium all along with an invisibility cloak.

“I can put you right back in there if I wanted to.” Her lips set into a straight line as her jaw clenched. Ashton knew she didn’t like being threatened, especially with something as bad as another jail term. Kaydence had no intentions of ever returning to the wizarding prison if she could help it. The conditions were awful, the food atrocious and the prisoners a nightmare. It wasn’t her scene. A woman like her didn’t deserve to be held captive in a place meant for the mentally disabled and thugs. She didn’t fit in either category. For Ashton to even joke about using his power against her was disgusting. Yet she couldn’t be amazed. That’s how all Ministry officials were. When they couldn’t get what they wanted, all they could do was pout and threaten those who wouldn’t stand down to them. Abuse of power. That was why the bloody government was so damn corrupt. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from Ashton. When it all came down to it, every man and woman within the Ministry of Magic was the same.

“Why don't you just go inside and leave me alone.” Kaydence’s eyes shot open. They had barely taken in the grey of the sky before her head sharply turned downwards and to the side. Did those words really leave his mouth? Leave HIM alone? The look on her face surely must have been able to speak the words that had been temporarily taken from her. She wondered if he was really aware of what he just said. Leave him alone. The last time she checked, she hadn’t been going out of her way to do anything to provoke him to say that. Not even her comment before boarding the boat warranted such a response. Logically, the thoughts in Ashton’s head were probably just so tangled that he was spitting out the first thing that came to his mouth. Unfortunately, it was the only thing to say. Her jaw was still clenched as she looked down to the chipped wood flooring of the boat. Her breathing was getting heavily. Kaydence could literally feel her anger boiling to the surface. After everything that had happened in the past three days, there was only so much that she could handle. There was only so much abuse and betrayal one woman could take. She had seen enough of it in her life already that would have broken through the strongest concrete wall. It was amazing that she hadn’t succumbed to the mental turmoils that many of her former fellow prisoners already had. Her hands gripped into the railing to the point where she could feel rust penetrating into her palms. The consequences from the wounds were the last thing on her mind. Her emotions were out of control and its waves were so very close to that boiling point…

It was then that her eyes caught sight of her dark mark. Since Ashton had come for her, the mark had been revealed. At the Ministry, neither he nor Tristan made any efforts to conceal them. Attempting to do the same at Azkaban was pointless. The guards wanted prisoners to remember why they had come here in the first place. Usually, the appearance of her tattoo would cause another side of Kaydence to come out. One who was ruthless, violent and knew what to do to get what she wanted. Since she had been here though, there had been no signs of it. Her environment, and more notably the dementors, had weakened her. Even now, all that resulted from her gazing were painful memories she was unable to suppress. Naturally, the man sitting at the small table away from her was the star in nearly every one of them. Her hands wrapped around the rail even tighter, this time forcing her to emit a hiss as she felt another piece lodge itself into her skin. Releasing her hands from metal, she turned them over to inspect the damage. A few pieces stuck out at random angles with faint traces of blood running the lines of her skin. Kaydence quickly did what she could to remove the rust that was ajar. She was bound to get upset enough to forget that they were there. Dropping the pieces to the ground, her eyes continued to study her hands. Then, without warning, it was like a flip had switched and her hands balled into fists. Turning her body around, she began to stalk towards Ashton.

He had said nothing else to provoke this sudden animosity but the rate with which Kaydence closed the distance between herself and Ashton made it seem otherwise. “No,” she firmly said, stopping once she stood in front of it. “No. Don’t you dare say that to me.” Bending over, she pointed her index finger towards his face. “Leave you alone? I’m sorry, but I believe thing I said to you was that I didn’t ever want to see you again. And if that meant having to go to Azkaban for the rest of my life to do it, then so be it.’” She paused briefly to try and slower her breathing. “Don’t you try to put this all on me Ashton. I have been telling you to leave me alone for three months now. Don’t make me remind you how it has been YOU who has been keeping tabs on me and showing up when I least expect it.” Straightening herself back up, Kaydence crossed her arms. “Since that completely sounds like someone who wants to be left alone.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

Whatever they had, it wasn't a relationship. He knew that, well his head knew that. For some reason he just couldn't force his heart to accept the same thing. It wanted him to try harder, to push just a little bit more that she was returning the feelings, but she just didn't know how to show it. At no point had she ever given him any clues to keep going...in fact she had done everything that she could to convince him otherwise. She had told him time and time again that she wanted nothing to do with him, that they were going nowhere and time and time again he ignored her. More than once he could remember thinking that he was nothing but a joke to her and that he was just wasting his time. Maybe this was just what he had needed to really accept the truth that she had been shoving down his throat every single day since they had met. They should have just stuck with what they were originally, no conversations before midnight, and nothing with cloths on. He had even screwed that up, and it was just about one of the only things that he was really good at in his life. She wouldn't even turn around to face him, he really meant that little to her...just like he knew that he had all along. He always came back to this point, no other relationship in his entire life had ever been this difficult. His personal and professional relationships all had their own share of dramatic events but Kaydence...she really took the cake whenever it came to this. She was the only person who had ever made him feel...less. Less than a man, less than worthy, less than human. Like she was too high and mighty to even be in his presence. He and Georgie had their share of problems, he had killed a man for her but he had never, not even for a second doubted that she was hopelessly in love with him. The reasoning for which, he hadn't a clue at guessing at but he knew it was truth. Kaydence, she was heartless.

After his last words, she had spun around so fast he had been forced to take a step back. Her eyes were shooting flames, just like they normally did whenever she was forced to talk to him. He braced himself for her slap. That had to be the only reason that she was coming anywhere near him. He hoped she dind't punch him again, but took comfort in knowing that if she did lay a hand on him then the guards would be forced to restrain, and possibly sedate her. Then he could just wallow in silence. His face was still very tender from the last beating it had taken, so he didn't doubt that it was going to hurt, he just hoped she got it over with quickly, spouted off whatever crap she thought was relevant and then stormed off so he could just sit alone. That was all that he wanted. Once they hit the main land she would be on her own, he wouldn't be sticking himself on the line for her any more. She had won, she finally had made her point. He felt defeated, and it was a hollow, aching feeling. As she got closer he closed his eyes, and steeled his body, only the impact never came. “No,” Daring to open one eye slowly, he met her icy gaze and opened his second eye, looking at her with the most passive expression that he could muster. He was giving her what she wanted, why couldn't she just take it and go away like she had said so many times that she wanted to. He was conceding, but of course she wouldn't just accept her victory with tact she was going to have to rub his face in it. No. Don’t you dare say that to me.” His arms hung limp his sides, his face blank. She thought that she was the only one able to say that? That she was the only one who was able to walk away? Of course her arrogance was going to come into play here. He could accept that so long as it meant that they both were going to get what they wanted, he could tune her out until she left with ease, but whenever she pointed her index finger in his face, that was something different entirely. He wanted to grab her finger and bend it backward until she cried uncle and hand her off to the wardens to keep her quiet. This was too much.

“Leave you alone? I’m sorry, but I believe thing I said to you was that I didn’t ever want to see you again. And if that meant having to go to Azkaban for the rest of my life to do it, then so be it.’” He felt his eyes roll. The pressure built up in his chest, and he could hold his tongue no longer “ THATS EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED! If it weren't for me, why can't you understand that? You were in there INDEFINITELY Kaydence, you weren't getting out. Sorry if I didn't think that you deserved that. Merlin forbid I don't do every damn little thing that you say. But if that's really what you want we haven't left yet, you are free to get right back off the boat, pet, and march right back into the doors. I'm sure the inmates would love to have you.” his tone bored, he had even called her the name nick name that he had called just about every other woman in his entire life. Even Georgie, once upon a time. It was his generic name for any woman that he had seen naked. If that wasn't a sign of his own detachment, he didn't know what was. “Don’t you try to put this all on me Ashton. I have been telling you to leave me alone for three months now. Don’t make me remind you how it has been YOU who has been keeping tabs on me and showing up when I least expect it. Since that completely sounds like someone who wants to be left alone.” He brought his thumb and index finger to press at the bridge of his nose, his eyes squinting for just a moment. “It was my job Kaydence. I'm paid to keep track of people. You are nothing but a Death Eater, once a soulless monster, always a soulless monster. Like you aren't putting all of the blame on me?, What the hell Kaydence! This isn't all my fault. Those charges were legitimate! You would have been placed in that damn cell with or without me. If I hadn't come for you, who KNOWS what they would have done to you before they took you to the Ministry Kaydence. They wouldn't have hesitated like I did, they wouldn't have STOPPED, no way would they have let you get the drop on them. It was no big secret where you lived. If you think that this was all my fault you are very mistaken. They would have done whatever they wanted with you and then would have thrown you into Azkaban. You WOULD have been in there for MONTHS Kaydence, MONTHS. They knew about us Kaydence, I don't know how, I don't know when, but that ASSHOLE Stavros, he knew. It would have been so much worse if he had his way. Why can't you see that? I did this for you! Yes it sucked, and yes I know your spoiled little ass doesn't understand whats going on, or feels wronged but dammit Kaydence I did right by you. Stop pretending that you care that somebody dares to look after you, to care for you because you make it SO DAMN HARD. I give a DAMN if your upset. I did the RIGHT damn thing! Because I...I uh...never mind. You know what? Just forget the whole thing. You want to never see me again? DONE! Wish granted!”

He moved away from her, walking right past her toward the front of the ship until his hands wrapped around the same railing she had hurt her hands on only moments ago. Pulling one of the folding chairs toward him with his foot he lowered himself down and rested his elbows on his knees, and interlaced his fingers together before allowing his head to rest against his hands. “I'm done Kaydence. For real this time. You win”

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence was fuming. There was no point in trying to control her breathing anymore. Ashton was just so damn good at getting her heated. Literally all she had to do now was look at him and be irritated by his very presence. Deep down, she hated that. Somehow, there was still a part of her that wanted to be with him. She missed how she would catch a glimmer of his kinder side every once in awhile. Of course she was always the one to make it retreat but knowing that it was there had always been enough to satisfy her. Why did things with him have to be so damn complicated? Perhaps in another life they would have worked out. Their traits were so similar that somehow they could have clicked. She had wondered once what would have happened if she had met Ashton before Evan. Would he have taken the place of the man Kaydence once thought she would have married? Had he always been the same cold and private man she knew? With the free time she had been allotted since Gringotts, her mind had often thought about the what ifs. What if she had gone ahead and accepted his request from the very beginning? How would things be different from what they were now? Would he have accepted her after finding out about her family and the mark on her arm that would forever be a reminder of it? She had a looming feeling that he would have. He had to. She didn’t doubt he’d be pissed and not talk to her for a few days, but he’d eventually come around. Ashton had come to get her from Azkaban after all, didn’t that say anything?

Her head was pounding. Bringing her hand to her temple, she grit her teeth as he began yelling back at her. Kaydence should have expected what he was going to say. She was more than aware of what he had done for her, but she hadn’t yet had time to fully process what had happened. Given time, perhaps she could have understood the importance of what he had done for her. How her desires to stay in Azkaban to get away from him were just lies. However, she was being forced to be confronted with it before having the chance to think about things. She was too upset over being in Azkaban, the behavior of the guards and Ashton being there yet again to think rationally. “I KNOW THAT!” she yelled back once he took a moment to breathe. “Why the hell would I have made such a bold comment if I didn’t mean it?” Kaydence was a bit taken aback when he ignored her and kept going with his rant. He didn’t think she deserved that treatment? Was he mental? Probably. He had continued to pursue her after she had made it very clear that she didn’t want anything to do with him after all. No sane person would allow themselves to listen to that much rejection over and over again. Still, she said nothing. Even when he called her pet, she did nothing more than narrow her eyes into smaller slits. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to yell and scream. What good was that really going to do for her now? No matter what she said, Ashton would still find some way to turn it around back on her and try to make all of this out to be her fault. He wasn’t going to think that he had anything to be blamed for in all of this. That was fine. It just provided more reason for her to make this the last time she ever saw him again.

As much as Kaydence wanted to keep her mouth shut, she very nearly snapped when Ashton continued speaking. His comment about his job being the reason to keep tabs on her was bullshit. She knew that. He knew that. While enough reason had been given for her to think that, she very vividly remember the look of hurt and betrayal on his face when he had discovered that she had her brother’s dark mark on her own. He knew absolutely nothing about her before that day. Whatever his reasons had been for being an annoying presence in her life they had been other than what he was trying to make them out to be. She wanted to call him out on it so damn bad but he kept going. Her hand balled into a fist when he accused her of being a DeathEater again. She had been stupid to think that the topic had been covered enough for him. Clearly, he needed Darren to get into his face and tell him how he had nothing to do with Kaydence anymore and that if she even tried to get back in his good graces that it wasn’t going to happen. Then again, Ashton would more than likely think her brother was trying to deceive him to throw him off of her trail. Regardless, she didn’t like her former life being referred to. He had no clue about how she had been raised. He wouldn’t look past what he had seen transpire between her and Darren. It wasn’t worth even attempting to explain to him. “No one would have known anything about me if it hadn’t been for you,” was all she was able to say. She didn’t know if it was true but he had definitely sped up the process. He was the one who had ratted her out.

Kaydence looked at him with confusion when Ashton confessed that the Ministry had known about them. He couldn’t offer any further explanation other than Tristan Stavros being the one that held the fact over their heads. No doubt he had been tipped off. Darren had presumably sent one of his minions to give Stavros the tip. There would be no other way for him to know. Well, it was possible that he could have seen them out and about but their trips on the outside were usually short-lived and restricted to the island. Occasionally they went to Alzubra Alley. Actually more like Ashton found her when she went shopping or was attempting to meet with a former ally of her brother, but he could have seen them then. Kaydence didn’t know why she was worrying. That didn’t have anything to do with her. Ashton would be the one facing termination and inquiry from his job if they had found out he was fooling around with a supposed DeathEater. It would serve him right. The only way he’d get the message to leave her the hell alone more than likely. “Stop pretending that you care that somebody dares to look after you, to care for you because you make it SO DAMN HARD.” She didn’t need anyone to look after her. She had been out of the country for four years with no one. The only time she had nearly allowed someone to take on the role as a protector had been Maverick at the very beginning. That had been short-lived though. Once she realized things were getting too serious too quickly, Kaydence had fled. She understood that she didn’t need anybody. She was a strong woman more than capable of taking care of herself. No one needed to interfere with that. She had been much happier before coming back here anyway.

“I did the RIGHT damn thing! Because I...I uh...never mind. You know what? Just forget the whole thing. You want to never see me again? DONE! Wish granted!” There was something in his words that forced Kaydence’s anger to briefly go to the backburner. Ashton had stopped himself from saying something. What was it? Whatever it was had flared up his anger more than before. Though whether that anger was directed at her or himself, she couldn’t tell. She watched as he walked away from her and moved back to the spot she had originally been. If she hadn’t been confused earlier, she damn well was now. Her head couldn’t take much more of this. She wanted to know what he had prevented himself from saying. Had he almost given up something Ministry related? It would have seemed to be the most logical thing but there was something nagging at Kaydence indicating that it was more. “I'm done Kaydence. For real this time. You win.” His defeated tone wouldn’t make it any easier for her to find out. She was slowly starting to become overwhelmed. The weight of his words finally starting to sink in. Before they were given another chance to, a voice interrupted the silence that had fallen between the two. “Uh…Mr. Wentworth? The cap’n wanted me to tell ya that we’re about ready to push off from the dock.” At least they were close to finally being on their way. After Ashton had responded, the first mate nodded and quickly left the two. She felt uncomfortable being alone with him. Bringing her arms to her chest, she rubbed at the tops of them once realizing how cold it actually was. Her shirt went down to the tops of her elbows but wasn’t thick enough to protect her from the temperature drop surrounding the prison. Kaydence needed to step away from the situation for a bit. Not only to find a room to warm herself up in, but to let the gravity of Ashton’s words do what they had intended. Stealing one final glance, she lowered her head and turned on her heel.

The sound of her heels clicking against the wood flooring of the boat was the only indication that she had given to Ashton that she was leaving. Kaydence doubted he would follow her. He wanted his own time to pout. She was going to let him have it. Weaving her way past oncoming guards, she opened the first door she came across. Fortunately, it was a cabin. A rinky, old bed with a mattress resembling the thin one in her cell lay across it with a sheet covering it. A nightstand with an equally old lamp stood next to it. The temperature in the room was warmer but not by much. Anything was better than being outside now. Walking over to a desk on the opposite side of the room, she allowed her fingertips to graze over the surface. Dust attached itself to her skin. Rubbing her thumb over her fingers, she wiped the dust off. That hadn’t been used in awhile. Her curiosity urged her to snoop around the drawers but the urge to sit down was greater. Closing the distance to the bed, she took a seat on the edge and placed her palms behind her, allowing her body to lean back and take in the small ounce of comfort that had been provided.

[Ashton Wentworth]

[/i] He had told the man to go ahead, and was sorely tempted to push her right back off of the boat and let the dementors have at her, see if she really meant her words then. He knew that was just the anger talking, but it seemed like such a damn good option right about now.

The wind was whipping up at the boat as they moved forward. There was a steady stream of salty spray hitting his face, in combination with the icy winds and overall cold temperature it was more than enough to make somebody miserable if they hadn't been in a fowl mood to begin with. It was as if the seas surrounding Azkaban just had to be tumultuous to reflect all of the things that would have once inside. It had to be the same reason that no flowers grew anywhere on the island. In fact, it had brown grass year round. One would be hard pressed to find anything but weeds and thorns as far as the eye can see. Nothing to give anybody hope. It was a bleak thought as best. He could feel the rough patch of rust under the palms of his hands, but his hands were so weathered from his years of fighting that it couldn't break his skin. The most he would have was a ugly red tint to his palms. His fingers tightened and released slowly as he worked to lower his heart rate. He allowed himself to squat down, to where his hands were up above his head, feeling the spray on the backs of his eyelids. There were no words for how conflicted he felt within his chest. Ashton was by no means a good man, nor a kind one, at best Ashton was just an average man with a stubbornness to beat them all. Yet, in all of his life, he hadn't ever given up on anything. He wouldn't even enter into an arrangement of any kind unless he was willing to carry it out. Most people that he had relationships with knew exactly what they were getting themselves into before they did whatever it was that they were discussing. For all of their faults, he had stood by his family until it was torn from him. He stood by his hussy wife until she had been torn from him, and he was standing by the only thing that he had left, his job. He had to walk away from her. This was the first thing that he needed to quit.

He could hear her heels clicking as she made her exit. That was it, whatever this was, was really done. He felt, oddly hollow. The rain was starting to pick up just enough to do a little water damage to his clothing, making his pants start to feel like they were more heavy then they actually were, turning his hands and face a more pale shade than they normally would have been. The propeller of the boat was really starting to pick up, and he had to hold on slightly tighter to keep from falling backward as the speed with which they moved started to pick up as well. He couldn't have opened his eyes if he had even wanted to, they felt like lead. Whenever the boat had stabilized as much as it seemed like it was going to, he picked himself back up, finally daring to chance a look behind him to see that she was really, gone. Where she had gone he didn't know, there weren't too many options so if he had wanted to guess he could have, but it didn't matter. He didn't have to look at her, didn't have to sit there and talk to her, wondering if he had really meant his words. He was just going to have to tell himself over and over again that he had, and that it was for the best. Who knew what would be waiting just around the corner for him anyway. There was lightning off in the distance, and what promised to be even choppier waters with it. He allowed his body to slink backward to the outer wall of the holding cell/cabin. Sliding down the wall he felt his shirt lift up in the back just enough to irritate the skin but he didn't care. He allowed his elbows to rest on his knees, and waited for the storm to come. [/size][/ul]

[Kaydence Morgan]

The boat rocked the bed every few seconds causing Kaydence’s body to go right along with it. Her hands were grasped firmly on the edge of the thin mattress. It prevented her from being rocked right off the bed, but any tighter and the cot would be going right with her on the floor. She supposed she could lay down but quickly thought against the idea. She had been on a boat once or twice in her life. In those instances, she had never suffered the ill effects of being out at sea on somewhat rocky water. Unfortunately, the strength that these waves held was impressive. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she were to close her eyes and attempt to fall asleep that the rockiness would prove too much and make her dizzy. If she became dizzy, the chances of becoming seasick heightened. The last thing Kaydence needed right now was to see Ashton’s smug face looking down at her from a fetal position on the floor, teasing her for her inability to keep the few contents of food she had eaten that day in her stomach. Pressing her lips together, she glared at the wall. She needed to do something to place herself in a better mindset. She remembered that it took several hours to get to Azkaban. It would no doubt take the same amount, if not more due to the pounding of the waves at the ship’s sides. Sighing, she slowly shook her head and looked at the floor. She should have been ecstatic right now. She was slowly sailing away from the hell they called a wizarding prison. However, that wasn’t in the cards for her. Not with him on the boat.

Ashton. How did he always do this? How did he always find a way to intrude on her life without her least expecting it? Their last meeting should have ended things once and for all. After he had left the questioning room, Kaydence had reluctantly answered all of Stavros’ questions, the same ones Ashton had tried to get out of her. Stavros has been the one to escort her to Azkaban the first time. He was just as obnoxious as Ashton, but at least she could deal with his presence better than the man outside standing on the bow. Then, yet again, he had popped up. There were so many questions going through her mind that it was difficult to sort through them all. How had she not made herself abundantly clear to him? Even if her heart hadn’t meant it, her body language should have. They were better off without each other. No ifs, ands, or buts. Being with the other would only attract trouble. On her end, Darren’s sights would permanently be on Ashton, placing a huge target on his back that he couldn’t wipe away even if he tried. On his end, he couldn’t keep their relationship a secret forever. When the Ministry found out about Kaydence, he would have distrustful eyes set on him. He would no doubt go through hours upon hours of questioning regarding his involvement with her. She wouldn’t at all be surprised if he lost his job because of it. She may not have known anything about Ashton, but she could tell how committed to what he did for a living. She had seen it the moment his eyes connected with hers at Gringotts. Even when he had run off to go save the lives of innocent and helpless victims cornered by her brother’s DeathEaters. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she was the reason for his termination or death.

Closing her eyes, Kaydence did her best to hold back tears. As much as she hated Ashton for coming to get her, her heart ached with him being so close yet so far away. He had been so stupid all this time. She had thought she had it made it obvious that she wanted to be with him. She would have if it hadn’t been for all this mess. Merlin forbid Ashton look past his self-absorption though. It was all about Ashton. No one’s problems were as big as his. He was the only one allowed to be betrayed when both of their secret identities were revealed. He was always the victim. He never did anything wrong. The more she thought about everything, the tighter her fingers sunk into the lowsy padding of the mattress. This needed to stop. He didn’t have any control over her. He never had. Kaydence was in power of her own life, her own thoughts. She was better off without him. Deep down though, a new realization was slowly coming to light. No matter how much she tried to tell herself, without having Ashton in her life a void existed. The same one that plagued her mind, body and soul for years after her and Evan’s relationship ended. She could try to convince herself that the hole was only from the trauma she had sustained over the past few months. That it was just now truly hitting her. But it would be a lie. In the long run, Ashton had succeeded in what he had wanted to do for so long. Seeing him today only confirmed this for Kaydence. Of course it would come now as things had finally ended as they should have so long ago. The sadness that filled her was excruciating. This was all too much for her to take in after her weekend stint in Azkaban.

Kaydence’s thoughts were halted as the ship hit a particularly rough patch of waves. Her body was sent sliding to the end of the bed. Grabbing on the flimsy bed post, her eyes widened as she looked around. Even through the windows big enough only to fit a face, she could see water running down the glass. Slowly pushing herself up, she walked carefully to the nearest window and peered out of it. The sky was taking on an ugly shade of grey. The clouds were thick and heavy, looking as if they were ready to open up at any minute. It worried her that they had lowered in altitude. She had seen from experience that low storm clouds were a forewarning for nasty weather. Why wouldn’t the ship be burdened with a storm at sea while she was en route back to Austria? Had she really thought things would go off without a hitch? Kaydence laughed to herself. She should have known that was wrong as soon as she saw who had released her from prison. The sight of a bold lightning bolt off in the distance caused her to walk away from the window and to the middle of the room. Lacing her fingers together nervously, she bit on her lip. Soon after, thunder rumbled off from the distance. A storm was inevitable. The question was now how long it would take for it and the boat to collide. Her mind began to wander. There had to be someplace on the boat that would survive during a strong storm. Was this room it? Or was there somewhere else she could look?

[Ashton Wentworth]

Ashton had lost feeling in his feet a good five minutes ago. He had been crouched down so long that he was starting to go numb from the cold. The spray kept beating him about the face and neck, the wind cruel as it bathed him with small ice pieces. He had been staring straight ahead of him, watching as the boat rocked and parted the water with it's force. His hands were losing color at an alarming rate, but he was surprisingly alright with it. His mind was blank, and he feared that if he moved, even just an inch that thoughts and emotions would come rushing back to him with a force likely to drive him mad. He didn't want to think about the woman no doubt sitting on the other side of the wall as he was sitting. He didn't want to think about what he was going to do once he got back to the shore and had whoever it was that was going to greet him and debrief Kaydence. He didn't want to sit in the meeting nor listen to her even say one other word. Right now, he doubted that he was even going to have the energy to listen to Stavros, so he was hoping that it was somebody, anybody else. He just needed to put all of that to the very back of his mind, and focus on the fact that he had a very nice bottle of Whiskey awaiting him at home. It was just sitting there, on his bar calling to him. That was exactly what he was going to do whenever he got home. He was going to crack that bad boy open and drink until he passed out or was called back to work. Whichever came first. He didn't want to care anymore. Not for the weekend at the very least.

He had known what she was really saying, at least he had thought that he had. All of the 'go away and leave me alone's and the 'it's for the best's' had all just been because she wanted to tell him how to live his life. But it was his life and he was the one who knew what was best for himself. It had always been more that frustrating. If only she had done what he had thought that she had wanted from the very beginning, then they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble. Sure, they still would have found out the truth sooner or later, but at least then they would have had a foundation to work with, and not have just been fuck buddies who found out they were on different sides of a war. He had tried, he thought that he had tried. He had done so much for her, even if she didn't realize it. While it was no longer an issue of him losing his job or not, with the photo that they found in her room, he was far too important not to be included. Most of all whenever the Centara woman was now a person of interest. Everybody had seen what she was capable at Gringotts, they needed his expertise on the subject for a good long while. Even to this day he was attempting to make her life better, he had gotten her out of prison, and she couldn't have cared less. Her words from earlier echoed once more in his head, reminding him that she didn't ever want to see him again, he had made the right choice.

Anger bubbled within him, he felt so foolish. Roughly, he moved his hands to his hair. The strands that he had been so careful to push down with a generous heap of pomade. He didn't like the way it felt sitting down on his head, but he had done it because he had assumed that she would like it, and she hadn't even noticed. She never noticed anything that he did. He allowed his fingers to push their way through his hair, until all ten digits were buried in the thick mass, shaking his hands violently, his hair went back to sticking at every angle, despite the rain that was starting to fall even heavier than before. He didn't stop until he was satisfied that his hair was beyond saving. Placing his hands on his knees he pushed, using the leverage to stand up, and lean up against the wall. He could see what looked like a grey wall right in front of them. That had to be where the storm was going to hit, they were going to be in the midst of it in only a matter of minutes. Logically, he should go back inside to where he would have some shelter, but then he ran the risk of having to see her again. Pulling a cigarette from his pocket, he attempted to light the thing. It was a stupid attempt because of the wind and rain, even if he had gotten it lit, the thing would have extinguished or song soggy in a matter of seconds. He was just attempting to kill time, or feel better, or something to take his mind off of the events of the day.

When the lighter wouldn't even strike, he grew so frustrated that he hurled both the lighter and the pack overboard with all of his might. An action he would no doubt regret once he was warm and thinking clearly again, but for now it made enough sense. It offended him, so he got rid of it. He was thinking in the simplest or terms. Just like he was freezing, so he needed to get warm. The water was pitch black, and the boat was tipping more and more with every wave. He needed to be indoors, even if he wanted to be away from her more. He wasn't really in the mood to die right now, then this would really be the worst day ever. He staggered over to the metal railing, and got a good grip on it, slowly inching his way toward the room that no doubt Kaydence was taking her refuge in. his steps were like walking through quicksand because of how much he was dreading seeing her right now. His resolve wasn't set yet, he didn’t want to have a Kaydence relapse. It dawned on him, he needed to go up to the captains bay, he could sit up front there and watch the man steer. It would be better than being stuck in a room with Kaydence right about now. With a destination in mind, he slowly started past the door, willing himself to not look inside so that he wouldn't have to see her face. He didn't want to risk it. Still gripping the railing, he took it one step at a time.

[Kaydence Morgan]

This wasn’t the first time Kaydence had been on a boat. There had been other times in her life, whether it had been on a family vacation or a mission from her brother that had required the watery method of transportation to whatever passage she was taking. However, the big difference between those times had been the weather. In all but one instance of a five minute thunderstorm they had literally sailed through, the conditions had been ideal. Nothing at all to put a bad taste in her mouth for boating. If those times had been anything like today though, she would have had to lock herself in a windowless cabin for the entire duration of the trip. It was only the beginning of the thunderstorm, but it already felt like the little boat was getting the worst of it. The left and right sides of the boat kept teetering upwards every few seconds. The waves were splashing even higher up on the sides of the wall. Rain had started to fall, Kaydence could hear it from the ceiling. It frightened her to be alone, but for now there was no choice. This was the grave she had dug for herself. There was nothing she could do except sit and wait for things to boil over. Another waves caused the right side to lower, forcing her body to follow. Fortunately, she had only taken a few steps backward before the boat righted itself again. She quickly dashed to the bed, surprisingly the only stable thing in the room. Gripping tightly to the bedpost, she looked around, unsure of what to do next.

If she stayed attached to the bed, it seemed likely that Kaydence would be safe. Plus, she was sure that the boat had its walls magically secured to stay upright when travelling through the dangerous waters to and from Azkaban. There was no logical reason to assume that she was in immediate danger. Still, with the state of mind that she was in, anything was possible. A flimsy bed frame was the only anchored thing in the room for Merlin’s sake. Even the sink was shaking a bit. Of all times for the weather to turn bad, it had to be now. It had to be when she had spent two days in Azkaban. It had to be when Ashton showed up to save the day again. It had to be when they had just had yet another argument and she was all riled up. Why would anything possibly look up for her? Kaydence found herself getting mad once more. All her thoughts going back to how all of this was Ashton’s fault. If she had just cursed him and fled, things would have been fine. If she had ended things before they could get as confusing as they did, she’d have been happier a long time ago. If she would have avoided him altogether that day at the gym, her life would have taken a completely different turn. But none of that had happened. She was usually a firm believer in things happening for a reason, but she had yet to fathom any sort of idea as to what all of this meant. There was no possible way they were destined to be together. It was more acceptable that Ashton had been sent to ruin Kaydence’s life than anything else. He had certainly done a hell of a good job with that currently as it was. If her arms weren’t hugged around the bedpost, she almost certainly would have grabbed at her hair and pulled out while screaming. That’s just what Ashton did to her.

The sound of a cracking from somewhere in the room jilted Kaydence from her thoughts. Eyes widening, she looked around the room again. At first, she saw nothing. Things continued to sway back and forth, but nothing out of the norm. However, when she looked towards the back right of the room, her jaw dropped open. There was a hole. It wasn’t a big hole but big enough to create an opening for the cold water that was trying to turn over the boat from the outside. It was quickly soaking the wooden floor, inching closer to the middle of the room where she was at every couple of seconds or so. Kaydence was tempted to jump on the bed and wait for the water to leave on its own, but with the sounds of the waves crashing alongside of the boat increasing by the minute, the room was likely to flood before draining out. She saw no other choice but to seek refuge somewhere else. Somewhere that Ashton hopefully would not be. All she had to do was pry her arms from the post and make a move for the door. It wasn’t too far away from the bed, but if caught during the boat tilting, she would be knocked down and rolling in whichever direction the boat was at. She would have to time it just right. For the next few minutes, she waited and observed her surroundings. The boat never kept a steady direction, but she did come to see that she had a leeway of about five seconds before it thrashed again. If she were to move, it would have to be during one of those times. Kaydence fought with herself for another minute before deciding she would make a run for it. As soon as the boat dipped downward and slowly began going back up, she bolted, quickly getting to the door and opening it.

Unfortunately, once Kaydence caught sight of the black sky and even choppier waves, she froze. If she had known it would look this bad outside, she would have stayed put. Cabin filling up with water or not. Her body was suddenly forced forward. Grabbing the rail, she pressed her body against it as the boat dipped again. A spray of cold water hit her face, almost instantly lowering her body temperature by a degree or two. There was no way she could handle this. Not when it was getting worse. Looking back to the door, she waited again to see how much time she would have. At this point, it was impossible to tell. She would just have to go for it. Breathing in deeply, Kaydence straightened herself up as best as she could. Letting go of the rail, she began to move before feeling something heavy hit her side. Her body was pushed into the wall. A small yelp left her mouth as the weight then shifted to her chest and out of instinct, her hands went to whatever it was to try and push it off of her. As her eyes lifted upwards though, she quickly saw what it was that was pinning her to wall. And it just so happened to be the very person she was wishing to avoid.

[Ashton Wentworth]

Ashton was going to become a part of this boat if he didn't really watch himself out here. The skin on his hands were rubbing raw from how tight he was holding onto the railing. Why of all days did this have to be such a bad storm? He just wanted to be away from her and back on solid ground again. Where he could drink away his sorrows in peace. The sky was growing darker and the stairs that he was going to need to climb in order to reach the small cabin with the captain inside was going to be tricky enough on a dry day. Now that he was filled with a blinding rage and his sight obscured by the weather it was going to become downright impossible. Progress was slow going, if he looked out over the horizon he could see what looked like a solid sheet of grey. He just needed to make it to shelter before then. Certainly somebody would come and find him before his life was in danger. Merlin he hated boats. He heard the cabin door slam open just behind him, but he didn't turn around to look. Was she coming out looking for him? Was there something wrong with the room that she had taken refuge in? She was a heavy sleeper, maybe she was getting some damned beauty rest. Rolling his eyes he moved forward, willing his teeth to stop their chattering. The open cabin door was being pulled off the hull just a little before being slammed back against it, over and over again. Like the steady beating of a drum it pounded.

Ashton should have seen it as some sort of twisted foreshadowing, the pounding door. No sooner had it hit for the third time that a large wave threatened to topple the boat over. The sea seemed desperate to claim this vessel for it's victim. If it weren't for the charms placed on the boat to keep that from happening, no doubt they would all be swimming for their lives right about now. The wave hit hard, forcing him to let go of his grip on the railing and he was sent backwards with a force. He hit something soft, which was more than strange given the circumstances. Perhaps the water had brought something aboard? The yelp let him know it was human, the curves that he could feel against his back indicated that it was female. Kaydence. He whipped around to block the second wave from hitting her in the face, he could now testify that it was not a fun feeling. Before his heart would allow him to feel anything, he scanned her body, making sure that she was physically alright before putting his hands on ether side of the hull to brace himself and keep from crushing her if another wave decided to make him it's bitch. He didn't smile like he would have if this had been any other time. He didn't want to go back on what he had said only a few minutes ago. He needed to be away from her...even if she was so warm.

“You should get back inside” His voice small as he pointed back in the direction of the cabin. “Go back and bolt the door shut. It's safest in there” he concluded, making it very clear that he wasn't going to be joining her. He would make other plans than to subject him to more of her verbal lashings. He was exhausted, and didn't have the mental energy to keep up with her anymore. Yet, he didn't move, not for another minute. They seemed to have hit a better patch of water, but he could hear the distinct crackle and boom of thunder off in the distance, see the flashes of light as they reflected off of the water and the hull of the boat. This storm was just getting started and it was still another two hours back to the port on a good day. They might just be on this boat all night long. If that was the case then there were arrangements that needed to be made, things he had to report and consider since he was technically the highest ranked official on this vessel. The rain was hitting his back with a fury, each drop was stinging. His clothing felt like it was at least ten pounds heavier with the sudden salt water weight. He was going to be miserable whenever the dried if he didn't have something else clean to change into. Not to mention Kaydence was going to become more unbearable than usual since her stupid shoes were no doubt ruined by now.

Pushing off of the hull with his arms he kept his gaze averted, to anything. The small patches of rust around the bolts lining the edge where the cabin was welded to the deck. The change in color due to the rain, his own boots, just anything so that he didn't have to look at her right now. ”Erm, Mr. Wentworth sir?” A meek voice called from up above their heads. Squinting, he turned his gaze upward to see who it was that was speaking to him. Ashton was more than grateful for the intrusion. “Yes?” The man looked nervous, but it didn't seem like it had anything to do with the situation that he had just barged in on. It must have something to do with the Captain or the boat. He nodded once and signaled that he would be right up there ”Sir, you're going to want to take a look at this....now” “I'll be there” He pushed off and placed one hand on the railing once more, and one hand flat against the hull of the ship so he could make better time. This was how he should have been moving in the first place. Glancing over his shoulder he remarked “I mean it Kaydence, get back into that cabin, and bolt the door shut. Someone will come get you whenever we're docked”

Taking the stairs one at a time and far more slowly than he would have liked, somehow Ashton finally made it to the very top and squeezed inside the tiny plexiglass paneled door that led him to the small Captains quarters. The two security guards were already there and staring at the tiny monitor showing the upcoming path and any possible dangers. Whenever the captain noticed Ashton, he pointed at the large pulsating red mass on the monitor. ”Here's us Mr. Wentworth” he started, and drew a line toward another plot on the map ”And here is where we need to be” he remarked, making sure that Ashton really got a good look. Circling the red mass with his index finger he frowned “And this is what is going to stop us from getting there” “Holy Mother of Merlin” Now he really wished he hadn't thrown his cigarettes overboard.

[Kaydence Morgan]

This wasn’t the first time Ashton had ever had her pinned up against a wall. Of course those times had always been far different than this one. With the exception of that very first weekend at her condominium, they were always encounters of the frisky kind. If their surroundings had been safer and their moods with the other better, it could have potentially turned into one of those instances. However, it was more than safe to assume that this was nowhere close to turning out for the best. That despite how this scene could be pulled straight from a bloody movie, things would only get worse rather than better. Why did things constantly have to end up this way? Why was it that every time she and Ashton were brought together it only resulted in misery? If the past few days events were any sign, this was fate’s way of assuring Kaydence that the two of them weren’t meant to be together. No matter how strange it was that the just clicked when times were good. No matter how often the image of his face popped up in her head. They were star-crossed lovers, if lovers could even define what they had once been. What else would it take to prove that the two of them didn’t work? Serious considerations needed to be taken since Mother Nature herself had decided to intervene. The journey to Azkaban had been a troublesome route with Stavros when she had first arrived on the island. Yet it was nothing compared to what it was now. Surely this couldn’t be some enchantment used to ward off travelers inadvertently crossing over restricted borders.

But Merlin…if only Kaydence’s brain was able to comprehend that she and Ashton were only inches apart and that he was protecting her from the worst of the storm. Then the sick and twisted cycle would begin rotating again. Instead, she could only focus on the look in Ashton’s eyes as a wave hit him directly in the back, which also showered her with a few drops. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the damage he had sustained, but her purple heels were almost certainly ruined by the cold water that was settling in. Somehow she knew that she was going to get the blame for this. Even though she hadn’t approached Ashton or called to him to come and rescue her, this was still going to be all her fault. “We always manage to find ourselves in such compromising positions, don’t we?” Kaydence asked, sarcasm dripping from her lips. She didn’t expect a response. It was her mind speaking for itself. Closing her eyes, she began to feel the cold envelope her. The temporary warmth that Ashton’s body had provided had vanished. “You should get back inside.” She should, but to somewhere that wasn’t at risk for flooding. “Go back and bolt the door shut. It's safest in there.” At this, she opened her eyes and looked at him with an annoyed expression plastered all over her face. If only he knew. Like she would have really left her shelter in this mess. Like she would have purposely damaged her heels just because she felt like getting a breath of fresh air. The urge to reply with some bitchy comment was strong, but Kaydence forced herself to keep her mouth shut. Even she could realize that this was not a time to make things worse than they already were. Averting her gaze to the left, her lips set into a straight line as she desperately wished that she could be anywhere other than here.

Kaydence continued looking off into the stormy distance until realizing that Ashton had yet to move from where he had stationed him. Bringing her eyes back to him, they were full of confusion. If he wanted her gone so badly, then why hadn’t he left or made any move to allow her back into that awful soon-to-be waterlogged room? As soon as the thought had entered her mind, it was like he had heard it. Pushing off from the wall, he had now given her enough space to move. Before she could do anything else, a voice interrupted the silence that had befallen between the two. ”Erm, Mr. Wentworth sir?” She rolled her eyes, expecting Ashton to get all high and mighty at being addressed the way he had been. But his behavior never changed. Responding to the man, Kaydence frowned at the tone of the intruder’s voice. ”Sir, you're going to want to take a look at this....now.” What the hell was that supposed to mean? Were they in danger? If something bad was about to happen, she damn well thought that she should know. “I'll be there.” She watched suspiciously as he began moving to a feeble-looking stairway up to the top of the boat. “I mean it Kaydence, get back into that cabin, and bolt the door shut. Someone will come get you whenever we're docked.” Merlin, she hated being told what to do. It was even worse that she had to listen otherwise suffer the consequences from him and his merry band of Ministry officials. Still, Kaydence remained where she was as he disappeared from view. There was no way she was going back in the cabin. She had no idea how much water had accumulated since she had left it and she was in no mood to find out. Plus, if this ship was about to go down there would be no way in hell that she was going to be the first victim.

It was stupid of her, that much she realized, but Kaydence slowly began following the route Ashton had just taken. It was difficult given that the boat had started going from side to side again, but eventually she made it to the bottom stair. Taking each step one at a time and holding on to the rail for dear life, she carefully reached the top of the staircase. Her hair and clothes were drenched by the time she stopped climbing, but at this point she was too tired to care. She was just ready to get inside. She could see four bodies hovering over one of the panels. None of them had heard the clicking of her heels as she approached, though the howling of the wind and loud booms of thunder had easily concealed them. Opening the door, Kaydence slid her body in. As she did, one of the heads turned, followed by the other three. Ignoring the pissy look on Ashton’s face and his agape mouth, she shook her head. “I’m just letting you know that my cabin is leaking and I am not going back into it if I’m going to drown. You boys are either going to have to keep me safe in here, or go down there and fix it.” A demanding order, but she was not about to die in a shitty little boat in the middle of nowhere.

[Ashton Wentworth]

If only they had been on better terms, if only he was in a position to take advantage of this situation. If they had been stuck on a boat for hours a few months ago they would have both been submerged in the cabin for hours and never even considered coming up for air. The added element of danger would have only heightened his senses, fueled him. He would have been certain to make the most of the time together but now he wanted nothing more than for one of them to be tossed overboard in some of the stronger waves. The trips to and from Azkaban were always tough to endure not only because of the presence of the joy-sucking dementors but also because of the enchantments that they had to cross through, and the weather was always horrible. This was something, more but he didn’t know what. He wasn’t a sea faring man, he couldn’t read the tides or tell which way was north just my looking at some map or other of the many nautical tools that he had seen in the dash of the captains room. He had hoped in vain that once he was out of the stinging rain that he might be able to stop from shaking, but he had been very wrong. He could see the hairs on his arms standing up from the prickly surface of his skin, the muscles in his arms were straining to keep from allowing his skin to turn blue and to control the violent involuntary twitching of his limbs. Folding his arms in front of his chest he balled his hands into fists hoping that his actions would contain some of his body heat from running away from him. The fact that the entire back half of the clothing on his body was soaked and heavy with sea water didn’t help at all. His hair was plastered to his face, while it had been slicked back on the way up here, the force of the waves had ruined it. Ashton was beyond miserable, in every possible way and now that he was up here to listen to nothing but bad news he felt sour. If he was turning a light shade of green he wouldn’t have been surprised.

His eyes followed the scanner as the two men on either side of him pointed at various parts and started to explain to him that they appeared to be caught up in some sort of storm. He didn’t fully grasp the extent of it since he didn’t make a habit of following weather patterns, he tended to just go outside and handle whatever it was that he was facing at the present moment. If he understood them correctly, they were about to be entering into the equivalent of the birthplace of a tropical storm. Meaning that they were going to need to use a hell of a lot of magic to try to propel the tiny vessel forward as fast as possible without ripping the thing to shreds in the process. The only problem was, only two of the people on board had wands, Ashton and the Captain. The guards had their wands at the prison since they weren’t supposed to use any sort of magical force whenever they were on the ship in case something went wrong. Most of the time the prisoners were sedated on the way to and from either way for security reasons. This was going to be very difficult indeed. Glancing down to his hip where his wand was jutting out of his pocket. It just didn’t seem very possible with only the two of them. His brain knew that he should be panicking, at least a little but perhaps it was the cold keeping him calm but he remained stoic. His eyes roamed over all of the beeping instruments, wanting to grasp the gravity of the situation but he was blocked, he just kept going over the fight he had had only moments ago.

He should have expected her to follow him, it was so like her to go sticking her nose places that it didn’t belong. She just didn’t know when to quit. He had given her an order not as her friend or ex lover, whatever it was that they were but as the man in charge here. He expected her to respect his position and the power that came with it if nothing else. She couldn’t go treating him like she did whenever they were alone, he had made it very clear that they weren’t friends. They had never been friends, the only time that they had spent time together with their cloths on had been whenever he had been in pursuit of her, although at the present moment he couldn’t remember for the life of him why he would have ever wanted to be with a shrew like her. The guard standing close to Ashton’s right shoulder was the first to notice Kaydence was now crammed in behind them, standing only a foot or two away. He turned, knocking into Ash’s shoulder in the process and then he turned followed by the other two, she looked like a how he imagined a cat would look if it was dropped into a tub of freezing water and had clawed it’s way back out again. Clearly irritated, he rose his eyebrows toward his hairline, waiting to hear whatever bullshit excuse she came up with for not listening to him. “I’m just letting you know that my cabin is leaking and I am not going back into it if I’m going to drown. You boys are either going to have to keep me safe in here, or go down there and fix it.” Great. Just what they needed right now. The guards turned to look at Ashton and the Captain for direction. Exchanging a look the Captain addressed the guards ”Go down and check it out, see if her claim is valid…report back and we’ll get it patched up if you can’t do it by hand” There were far too many bodies in this small space anyway. Plus, it would give the guards something to do while they figured out a course of action. Now, just needed to find out what to do with Kaydence.

The Captain turned a friendly face to her, something that Ashton hated without a logical reason to hate it. He watched as the Captain extended an arm out to her, offering to let her sit in his chair which meant that she was going to just make herself feel right at home. He wanted to kick her back down, broken room or no broken room. She was just too much of a distraction to him. Clearly irritated, he turned back to the console, pretending like he could comprehend what he was looking at for pretenses if nothing else. “Is there no way to go around it?” Pretending like she wasn’t there was going to be the best option. The kind faced Captain shook his head ”Not enough fuel, but then again if we can coast we might make it, but no guarantee that it’s any more clear to the sides” The man had a point…but Ashton had no idea what to do from here, they were still too far from land to apparate and nothing he could turn into a portkey without a destination authorized. There was nothing Ashton hated more than feeling useless, and it wasn’t something that he had to endure very often. They needed to think of something, and fast. Glancing over his shoulder, he finally spoke to her indirectly “Well, got any bright ideas pet? If you’re going to be here you might as well be useful”

[Kaydence Morgan]

As she waited from a response from anyone, Kaydence glared at the four men in the room. She was so damn irritated. First it had been Ashton coming to pick her up from her condominium, then Ashton taking her to the Ministry for questioning, then Ashton and Tristan questioning her, then Tristan carting her off to Azkaban where she had been held up for two whole days. It had only gotten worse when she had seen that it was Ashton who had come to pick her up, Ashton who was the highest form of authority on this stupid boat other than the captain, Ashton who tried to banish her to a flooding cabin and Ashton who had to go and protect her from that stupid wave, drenching him in the process and getting himself all mad at her when Kaydence hadn’t even asked him to shield her. The more she kept thinking about the events of the past few days, the more her fist began to ball up in fury. The longer he kept staring at her like she was scum on the bottom of his shoe, the more she contemplated whether or not it was worth going back to Azkaban to sock him in the face in front of all these men. It’d give her a good laugh and absolutely embarrass the hell out of him. But was it really worth calling that cold and awful cell home? Permanently? There were so many options to weigh that it was beginning to hurt her head thinking about the cause and effects. Hopefully one of those idiots would speak up soon so Kaydence could get someone to fix her damn cabin and she could remain out of sight from Ashton for the rest of the journey.

When the Captain smiled at her, Kaydence returned it. When he extended an arm in the direction of his comfortable looking chair, she smiled even wider. She was going to milk this for all it was worth. She knew very well how pissed Ashton must have been to see the man being so polite to her. He always hated when she was nicer to other people, or other animals, rather than him. “Thank you very much,” she said, her tone changing as she took the seat she had been offered. She almost felt like spinning around in the damn thing to get him really riled up but enough damage had been done. Being nice to the Captain wouldn’t get her in trouble. Him being mean to her would hopefully result in a scolding to him by the elder gentleman. That would be all the revenge Kaydence really needed. She felt incredibly satisfied as it seemed to be working. Ashton turned his back to her and she chuckled silently as he leaned over the controls with the Captain and the First Mate. “Is there no way to go around it?” She could only assume they were talking about the storm. Though the tone in Ashton’s voice made her roll her eyes. He was making himself sound so serious. He always had to make himself out to be such a hotshot. “Not enough fuel, but then again if we can coast we might make it, but no guarantee that it’s any more clear to the sides.” At this, she arched an eyebrow. Not enough fuel? Biting down on her lip, Kaydence arched her body forward enough to try and make out exactly what they were looking at. She was no sailor, but her interest had been caught. She wanted to be included with her safety involved. With the Captain’s unsure tone, this storm looked to be far more serious then she thought. She had been worried before down in the cabin, but now an awful feeling lay deep in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, got any bright ideas pet? If you’re going to be here you might as well be useful.” Kaydence had never really been a fan of pet names. Even the few times Evan had used them on her, she had smiled out of respect for him. They really just didn’t suit her. Hearing one now, especially with the sarcasm oozing behind it, made her see red. Merlin she hated how angry Ashton could make her. He got too her way too easily and she couldn’t stand it. Though of course that was natural with someone a person had feelings for. “Can we just sail away from it? Go in another direction? Surely there has to be some place relatively close that we can aim for and wait out the storm there.” Turning to the captain, Kaydence shrugged her shoulders. “You and your First Mate are hard workers Captain,” she complimented, smiling again as the man blushed. “You will need the rest after dealing with what you’ve gone through already.” She paused for a second before continuing. “But if that’s not an option, might I suggest conjuring a few spells to make sure the boat is better stabilized to take the brunt of the bad weather better. Let it go with the wind.” When the two men stared at her, she rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I mean, why would you want to fight it? It’s only going to make things worse.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

He stared into her face, surprised that the familiar feeling that he normally got in the pit of his stomach was absent. Perhaps he had finally convinced himself that he had meant his words earlier before they had left the docks. Perhaps he really was finally through with her, wouldn't that just be wonderful. He could feel his jaw pulsing, irritated that she was moving to make herself comfortable. Whenever she took the captains chair he nearly snapped, she sure had some nerve, thinking that she was just owed anything that she wanted. Spoiled little brat. She was returning every glare that he shot her with gusto, like he should be ashamed for even daring to look at her in the first place. Rolling his eyes he turned his face back to the large panel of magically enchanted dials and gauges that were attempting to tell him lots of things he didn't know how to interpret. The way that she was being overly sweet to the Captain to attempt to make some sort of point was sickening. He didn't feel the need to make her feel included like he might have normally. He hated her very presence, she needed to let him do his job and go back. Throw herself off the side of the boat, he didn't really care anymore. It was her fault that this crew was in danger in the first place, they were the only reason they had been on that stupid island in the first place. He placed a hand on the tempered glass, staring down at the readings, attempting to make some sense of it. Looking from the one telling him the location of the storm and up to the window he could see it off in the distance, feeling the weight of his wand in his back pocket. Kaydence's was locked up on shore so he couldn't have given hers to her even if he had wanted to. Scowling, it was just going to have to be him and the Captain to do something about her, perhaps some modification of a bubble charm to shield the boat, but he would then have to figure out some way to keep the rudders in the water...so that charm wouldn't work after all. Perhaps he could just speed the boat up so that it wouldn't have time to be effected by the storm, only that would wear him out quickly. Some spells took more out of the caster than others.

“Can we just sail away from it? Go in another direction? Surely there has to be some place relatively close that we can aim for and wait out the storm there.” Rolling his eyes, a sarcastic smile took over his face, the Captain had to of seen it since he spoke up before Ashton had a chance to insult her any further “No dear, I meant we don't have the gas to go that far out of the way, we need to find a way to stick to the charted course” The man spoke to her like she was an adult, but using words that he would have said to a child. There was no hope of waiting out the storm, they had no way to filter the water and everybody knew that one can't just produce food out of nothing. One of the three rules of magic and it's limitations. They needed to stay on the boat if at all possible. “You and your First Mate are hard workers Captain, You will need the rest after dealing with what you’ve gone through already.” Merlin she was laying it on thick, no doubt it was all for his benefit. This was yet another moment that he wished that he had a cigarette on his person. Perhaps something a lot stronger, would make it easier to tolerate the woman sitting next to him. “But if that’s not an option, might I suggest conjuring a few spells to make sure the boat is better stabilized to take the brunt of the bad weather better. Let it go with the wind. I mean, why would you want to fight it? It’s only going to make things worse.” “I wasn't aware that you had nautical training and experience in the matter pet” he spat angrily. Of course she would suggest that. So simple, like he hadn't already thought of that as an option. Hell, she might as well have just suggested that he try to tame the weather itself. All prison bound ships were already magically altered so that they could not tip over due to weather but there really wasn't anything strong enough to place on a boat to keep it from being ripped to shreds from the force of the water.

Running a hand over his face in exasperation Ashton turned without warning and left the Captain's roost. Taking the narrow metal staircase down to the main part of the boat he moved to the stern, looking out behind them, it was too far to go back to Azkaban now, they were well past the point of no return. Pulling his wand out from inside his jacket pocket he pointed it down to the water, where the propellers were jutting into the water and cast a plain enchantment that should keep it turning, and hopefully a little faster. Hoping for some sort of inspiration, he moved toward the bow, toward the rapidly approaching storm, wishing that he could part the clouds with a wave. That would have been most convenient. He was just going to have to bank on pushing through it as quickly as possible, and shielding as much as he could. Wandering into the cabin, the two guards had managed to form a shoddy patch over the large tear in the metal wall, pushing them aside, he fused the pieces together with the tip of his wand, it would have to be properly fixed later once they had docked. At least this way he could toss Kaydence into this room and leave her there, meaning he wouldn't have to listen to her voice or look at her face for another second. Should help a lot of things if he could accomplish that. The rain soaked his already freezing body the second the sheet of water hit the part of the boat. He could feel the waves under the ship tossing about, and the ship was starting to rock wildly under the force but at least they were still moving forward. No doubt, if this had been a muggle vessel, they wouldn't have had any sort of chance at all. Clenching his teeth together to keep from chattering, he squinted upward at the icy rain and lifted his arm up above his head, loudly shouting incantations that were lost to the wind, yet steady jets of light were coming out of his wand, forming what would hopefully be some sort of umbrella over the top of the boat so that all they would have to fight would be the waves. His arm was shaking so bad with cold it was all that he could do to hold onto his wand though the frozen fingers wanted to allow it to be flung far from them, but then they would have no chance. Even if he hated Kaydence like he wanted to, he didn't wish her to die.

He had no idea how it happened, or how long he had been shouting the same words over and over again, but it felt like his fingers were frozen together around his wand. Somehow he had managed to sink to the ground, huddled up against himself in an attempt to keep warm, his wand raised as far as his arm would have allowed it. At some point, the Captain had joined him outside to help with the incantations and that must have been what had gotten them through. The rain hadn't ever stopped, but at least it seemed to have thinned out enough and the boat was still going, if he didn't stop his charm to propel them forward, they were going to crash right into the deck. Accepting the thick blanket from the two guards that helped him to his feet he clutched it around his shoulders and staggered toward the back of the boat to lift the charm as they slowed, the dock finally coming into view. Slumping into the only bench mounted to the deck he waited. He just wanted to be done with all of this. Let somebody else deal with the hussy, Rutherford could give her the damn wand back.