H's High Seas Odyssey

"Ok, so it's not a very good name for a fish, but it's the best I've got."

H knew as he said it that he shouldn't have, but he did anyway. He always did. It was his curse to be an idiot, and a fool's errand to try and change that.

"Well if you're going to name it after me then at least spell my name right." She pouted playfully at him, "It's Adele not A-D-A-L-E."

"Yeah, I know," H stammered, "I just... It's hard to spell when your hands are covered in this stuff." He waved his hand around in the air, palm up showing her the dirty smudge left on his fingers. It was a gesture that had somehow taken on a new level of meaning as they were getting closer together.

"You could wipe them off on something!" she teased lightly, "Or better yet just go wash them off."

The implications of what she was saying set H into motion. He would do anything for her. Anything she asked of him he would give willingly. After all wasn't that what love was supposed to be? Giving yourself wholly and entirely to the person you loved? Well H had done that and more, in spades. And thankfully since he had returned from that terrible journey he had found Adele more than willing to accept all that H had to give.

But now as he stood there before Adele in the old fishing shack bathed in the warm glow of the flickering lamp she held in her hands, looking up at him with those deep blue eyes and smiling coyly at him, H felt like someone else entirely. He felt like himself again... only better. Like finally he could see the world clearly again and not just through some strange haze.

The changes had started slowly but they were undeniable now. Changes both within himself and around him that seemed to confirm what Adele had told him on their way back from Newfoundland all those weeks ago.

He didn't know exactly how long it had been since then but time seemed unimportant now. Maybe it was six weeks or maybe ten... who knows anymore? The days melted into one another like they always did until you looked up and you realized how much time has passed without you realizing it. But no matter how long it took they made sure they spent every moment together until they were ready to leave again and return home to their families and friends... well most of their friends whom they could still trust anyway. They couldn't tell anyone what happened out there because they didn't want anyone else getting hurt by this dark conspiracy they had discovered or worse killed by the people behind it all. So instead they gave explanations involving bad weather and rough waters pushing them off course far longer than expected when really H knew for a fact now exactly where he was going when things went wrong aboard the ship that night a couple months back now... wherever this place was called North Haven Island.

As if reading his thoughts Adele broke into his reverie by asking him about their last trip there together... about where it all began for them both those weeks ago when everything changed so dramatically for the two of them forever....