3rd January 1945

Ana cleaned the house from top to bottom. Everything was perfect. The table was perfectly laid and polished, the floors were mopped, the rooms were all tidy and she'd made a cake. They received the order yesterday, that in order to help the war effort, everyone down the street needed to take in an American soldier.

Apparently one or two of the naval ships had stopped at the port in need of shelter. She didn't mind of course, anything to help the war effort. Her husband, as usual, was fast asleep, probably drunk, on the couch with his feet up, a grubby top on and a beer in his hand. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him and wondered why he wasn't at the pub right now getting himself drunk.

That's what he did every night. He'd come home from working at the docks, put his feet up, demand dinner and then go down the pub for hours while she sat at home all alone. She decided to leave the room and walked back into the kitchen.

She was excited and nervous. She wasn't used to company. Jack didn't let her have her friends over so she used to have to sneak them in or out while he was at the pub until she got caught. Now she saw no one. It would be nice to have some company.

She undid her apron and smoothed down her dress. It was strange, but she hoped that the soldier liked her home. All she knew about him was that he was young, in his late 20's and he was American. He'd been the captain of a naval vessel and was seen as a hero back home. He was a hero of the seas apparently, a fine and very brave man who had worked with the British forces before being brought back here. She'd cleaned out the guest room for him. Her husband had been using it as a place to store his clutter so there was rather a lot to clean out.

At six o'clock on the dot, the doorbell rang. She felt her heart race and ran into the living room, hitting her husbands arm. He groaned in his hungover haze, dazed from being woken up.

"What the hell, Anastasia?" he growled.

"Our guest is here, will you please just stand and greet him?" she heard him mutter something under his breath as he stood up.

Satisfied that he was awake, even if he looked like a slob, she went to the door. Opening it, she was greeted by two men. The first was middle aged and wearing a suit. He was writing notes on his notepad not even looking at her. The second smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat.

He was so handsome, as he stood in his blue naval uniform. He was tall, maybe 6'2 and his eyes were shimmering gray. She continued to stare at him not even realising that the first man was talking to her again until he waved his hand in front of her face rudely.

"Ma'am, this is Captain Christian Grey," the officer introduced them together. She smiled at Christian again and held out her hand. He took it in his and there was a spark that jolted through her like a lightning bolt. She never wanted to let go of his hand.

"Hi, I'm Anastasia Hyde, it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ma'am," his voice was like honey and his hand was still in hers.

She was the most beautiful woman that he'd ever laid eyes on. Her eyes were bright blue - the kind of blue that captivated your every thought. They reminded him of the sea and of home. She was wearing a pretty dress and she looked so nervous. He hoped she wasn't nervous about him.

They were staring at each other, blue eyes to gray and she felt herself getting lost in his gaze. She quickly pulled her hand from his. She was a married woman and he was an naval captain. She had to stop this now, what must he think of her getting so flustered?

"Ma'am, Captain Grey will be staying with you while the American federal government request his leadership for the next naval mission."

"That's fine, sir," Ana nodded.

"Thank you Ma'am, enjoy your day," the man saluted Christian before walking along with the next soldier to the next house. She looked at Christian and he smiled at her, a wide toothy smile that had her heart fluttering.

"Erm... would you like to come in, Captain?" she asked, gesturing inside.

"Thank you, Ma'am," he nodded, hauling his luggage bag behind him.

"Here, I'll hang up your coat," he pulled his coat off and she couldn't help move her eyes over his frame.

The blue jumper he wore was tight and showed the muscular body underneath, his arms were strong and the colour of the jumper brought out specs of blue in his gray eyes. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of her thoughts about their guest and hung his coat up on the rack next to her trench coat.

"Welcome to our home, I'm sure it's nothing like America, but I think you'll have to adapt particularly to the weather," he laughed and nodded.

She was funny. He liked a woman who could make him laugh. She seemed so friendly and warm and he was sure he'd feel at home for his short time here with her around. This morning he'd been hoping that the request for him by the American fleet would come within the week but after meeting Ana, he didn't mind how long he stayed. She fascinated him.

"My mother used to say the same thing. Britain rains a lot more than in the states apparently, Ma'am, so I brought an umbrella." She smiled at him thanking the lord that he hadn't noticed her checking him out. Now that would be embarrassing.

He hauled his bag into the porch and then she lead him into the house. He kicked off his shoes and put them by the door as courtesy before following her.

"This is the hallway and this is the living room," she announced as they walked into the lounge. Her husband had sat back down again and struggled to stand up due to his beer belly when he saw his wife and their guest walk into the room.

"Jack, this is Captain Christian Grey. Captain, this is my husband Jack," Christian nodded with a smile and reached out his hand to Jack out of courtesy.. He was repulsed by the creature before him. How would Ana be with this drunk slob? He didn't deserve her but he knew that he couldn't say anything. This man was letting him stay here.

"Pleasure to meet you sir, thank you for allowing me to stay in your home," he said politely. Jack looked him up and down and then shook his hand.

"No problem, Captain," he turned to his wife, "I'm going out, I want my tea late," he demanded. Not a 'please' or a term of endearment. Christian watched as Ana's face fell and she nodded. The sadness in her beautiful eyes was heart wrenching. How could he speak to his wife like that? If Ana was his he'd be worshipping at her feet.

"Ok," she nodded. She felt embarrassed that Christian had already beared witness to what her husband was like and could feel his gaze on her. She wanted to make a good first impression, what must Christian think of them?

"Good. You want to come for a drink, captain? My wife isn't much company."

Christian raised his eyebrows at the cruel comment but Ana didn't seem shocked. It almost appeared that she was so used to comments like that off her husband that she didn't even register them anymore. It disgusted him, she seemed to have no fight left in her body and he hated it.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll just stay here and unpack," Christian replied. He just wanted this pig to leave.

"Suit yourself," Jack said, pulling on his coat and then walking out the door. It shut with a bang leaving the two of them alone.

"Right, would you like anything to eat or drink?" Ana smiled, although now, she looked distant.

"Your husband seems... erm..." Christian couldn't finish his sentence has he didn't know what to say. An ass? A bigot? A fool? Those words didn't seem to quite sum up her husband and his behavior. He just couldn't understand how an angel like Ana got stuck with that for a husband.

"He's just tired," Ana cut in quickly, trying to defend her husbands behaviour. Christian nodded subtly, he wasn't satisfied with her answer but he wasn't about to argue with the woman who was letting him stay in her house. It was clear she didn't want to talk about it with him - she barely knew him - but he hoped that one day she'd open up.

"Would it be possible to put my things in the room I'm staying in? I'd quite like to unpack and then if possible, maybe we could have a drink. I drink coffee but I'm not too fussy if you don't have it, and maybe we could talk a little. I'd like to spend some more time in your company," he smiled softly at her and she looked up at him catching the remark at the end.

"I won't be much company," she sighed. It was clear that she didn't have much confidence in herself.

"I beg to differ. I wanted to hear all about you, I find you intriguing," she looked at him shocked.

"Me? Intriguing?" she asked as he nodded with a smile. She truly didn't know how beautiful she was and Christian blamed her husband for that fact.

"Yes, very," he replied and Ana blushed self consciously. She wasn't used to receiving compliments. Jack never said anything nice about her and it made her feel warm. She repeated the word in her head over and over. Intriguing.

"I'll... I'll show you you're room and then put some coffee on for you, how do you like it?" Ana asked but her words barely registered with Christian. He walked behind her as they walked up the stairs and marvelled at the beautiful creature in front of him. The dress she wore hugged her curves, her long hair looked so soft and he in awe of her. How did someone so beautiful and kind get treated like that? He was so distracted, it took him a moment of two to reply to her.

"Erm.. sorry, I take mine black. We had very scarce rations aboard the ship and I can't live without my morning coffee so I got used to it."

"If you would like some milk or sugar, you're welcome to it. I don't drink much tea or coffee and my husband only drinks alcohol," she said, that last part with a little disdain but he chose not to question her about that yet.

He wanted to get to know her first, if he was going to be staying a while. He wanted her to trust him and feel like she could open up to him about anything that was on her mind.

She opened a door on the left and gestured for him to go inside. It was cozy and colourful, just like the rest of the house. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the purple and blue throw cushions on the bed.

"It's perfect, thank you," he smiled, turning to look at her. He caught her gazing at him and she blushed. He thought it was the sweetest thing he'd ever seen, the rose tint on her cheeks. She needn't be embarrassed, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since she'd opened the front door.

"You're welcome, captain. I'll make you some coffee, please come down when you're ready," she told him. He nodded and she closed the door behind him leaving him to his thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, she heard heavy feet walking down the stairs and smiled slightly. She heard shuffling and then the noise stopped. She turned to see the captain leaning against the door of the kitchen and her breath caught in her throat. He had changed out of his navy uniform and into a tight T-shirt showing his large, muscular arms and sticking to his abs. His bare feet were crossed and she found that she was even attracted to his feet. What was wrong with her. His copper locks were slightly tousled, his gray eyes gleaming and a beautiful smile was etched on her face. She felt warmth spread through her body just from looking at him.

"H..h..hello, Captain, would you like to take a seat? I've made you some coffee and you can even have a slice of cake of you'd like? I made it just last week with our rations," she turned back around to stir his hot drinking and he watched her.

The way her hips moved, the slope of her neck, her long legs covered by the beautiful rose colour dress she wore. He found himself getting aroused just looking at her. But, he willed himself to stop. She was married and he was their guest. Her husband might have been a bit... cruel, but he didn't know enough about either of them to judge. He only knew that this woman in front of him, was effortlessly beautiful.

He slowly walked towards the table, making sure not to touch her as he walked by. Even without touching her, he could smell her scent. Sweet like the rose dress she wore. Everything about her was bright and flowery.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Christian smiled politely when she placed his coffee and a slice of cake in front of him. Ana sat beside him and found her eyes drawn to his arms.

She needed to stop, she needed to tear her eyes away from the gorgeous man in front of her and focus on the fact she was married. She thought about Jack and that immediately sobered her thoughts. He sipped his coffee and bit into the slice of cake she'd given him. Was it strange to wish that she was the cake? She watched him chew in fascination and when he closed his eyes and let out a moan she found her legs clench in excitement.

"This is delicious, ma'am. Best cake I've ever eaten! That is a big thing for me to say considering my mother won best cake at the state fair three years in a row." Ana giggled and Christian opened his eyes in shock.

That giggle... oh man. It was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. He vowed to himself that while he was here, as a guest in her home, he'd try to make her giggle as much as possible. The sound warmed his heart. It was like a soft breeze on a hot day and he wanted to hear it again and again.

"I'm glad someone approves," Ana smiled, thinking of what her husband had said about her cake. 'This tastes like garbage? Did you really waste our rations on this, Anastasia?!'

She shuddered at the memory. She had silently reprimanded her husband after that comment for the fact that he spent half of his wage on alcohol, which had become more expensive during the war due to scarcity, but she'd never say it to his face. She was too scared of him to do that.

"Are you alright, ma'am? You look a little lost in your own world there," Christian smiled softly and she found herself returning it.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I'm not much good for company am I?" she asked as Christian scoffed. He hated how little she thought of herself. Did she not see how incredible he found her? Did she not realise that he literally couldn't take his eyes off her? He'd rushed around upstairs, unpacking as quickly as possible just so he could spend more time with her.

"Nonsense! You're the best company I've had for years." It was true. There wasn't much to talk about on the ship. Everyone was constantly on guard for the enemy and the conditions were cramped. He'd learned a while ago that it was better just to keep to himself so that it wouldn't hurt as much when his comrades died. The stories he'd heard of brothers being torn apart. Fathers burying their sons. He couldn't risk losing someone he cared about.

"You must be speaking to very boring people then." She smiled sadly and his heart dropped in his chest at her words.

"I was, but I'm not now," he finished off his cake and his coffee and then turned to face Ana.

"So, how long have you lived here for? It's a beautiful house," he told her wanting to change the subject. Ana smiled.

She was proud of the decoration of the house. She'd designed it herself and done it up out of her father's inheritance money to make it pretty. Her husband had said it was a waste of money but it was her money to do what she wanted with it. She made a house a home that she could stand to live in and it reminded her of her childhood; the bright colours and the coziness.

"Thank you, we've lived here for two years now. We moved in once Jack got a new job. He couldn't join the war effort because of his back so he found a job down the mines."

"How long have you been married for?" Christian hated to ask but curiosity won over his mind.

Ana sighed. Her 'marriage' wasn't a topic she enjoyed speaking about to anyone.

"Three years," she stated and continued, "we were kind of... forced together. My father knew his father and the next thing I knew I was walking down the aisle."

Christian watched her face and eyes change from light hearted to anxious as she spoke about her husband. He found himself itching to touch her, but he had to know something first or it was going to fester on his mind for his stay here.

"Ma'am.. does your husband treat you alright?" he asked. From what he'd seen so far of her husband, he was not a very good man and he didn't treat his wife the way she deserved but he had to know if he'd ever hurt her physically or he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

She looked up at him and immediately knew what he meant. He may as well have said it. 'Does Jack hit you?' She needed to steer the conversation away from that topic right away. She wasn't prepared to spill her heart to this man she had just met. For all she knew, he could tell her husband.

"I'll get you another piece of cake since you liked it so much," Ana replied quickly getting up and walked over to the cupboard containing the cake.

Christian watched her in surprise. She hadn't answered his question and that worried him. She seemed so fearful of her husband and he hated seeing her so jumpy at even the mention of him. He hoped at one point she would confide in him. He wanted to protect her but it was clearly a touchy subject for her, so he decided to leave it and play it by ear for now.

"Thank you ma'am," he smiled seeing the cake and delved into the slice. It really was delicious and he wasn't about to turn it down.

"So, Captain, where are you from?" she asked, curious about the life of the young naval captain who sat before her.

"New Jersey state, Ma'am, and then when I was twelve we moved to Maryland. My mother, brother Elliot and I. I loved New Jersey but Maryland is where I first joined the navy in Annapolis." Ana nodded fascinated.

"How did you become a captain?" she asked him. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had someone to speak to and it was so nice.

"I rose through the naval ranks and captained my first ship when I was twenty-five. I loved the water and I knew it was where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. I think God should have made me a dolphin instead of a human." Ana laughed and Christian smiled as she did.

"A dolphin?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, ma'am. That way, I'd never have to come back to dry land." He winked and she found herself giggling like a schoolgirl.

They continued to talk and laugh while they sat in the kitchen. They had some more coffee and Ana had a slice of cake and then started making their evening meal.

"Would you like some help, ma'am?" Christian asked.

Ana was cooking something on the stove and it smelled delicious. She'd handed him todays newspaper for him to read while he waited for his meal but he didn't want her doing all of the work. He was staying in her home for free, the least he could do was help her around the house.

"No thank you, captain. Please call me Ana," she told him.

"Then I insist you call me Christian. Formalities aren't for the home," he replied as Ana nodded.

"I agree." She said.

"So, Ana, what time should your husband be home?" he asked. Ana almost dropped the spoon she was stirring with when she heard the question and gulped. How could one word make her feel so on edge.

"I... I don't know. I never know, I just hear the door slam when he walks through it. Sometimes he's very late and sometimes he's early." Christian nodded.

"Do you wait up for him?"

"I have to, I didn't once and he ..." she stopped and Christian noticed her hand shaking. "Yes, I wait up for him. He likes me to sit there while he eats." She refrained from adding that the only reason she liked for him to sit with him was so that he could give her a barrage of insults about the food she'd made him.
"What are you cooking? It smells wonderful," he told her, wanting to make her feel comfortable again. It broke the tension and she turned around and smiled at him. A genuine smile that lit up her face and eyes. It made his heart melt in his chest and every part of him wanted to kiss her. He'd know this woman mere hours but she was already under his skin.

"Cream and parsnip soup. It's my grandmothers recipe and it doesn't need many ingredients so it's perfect." Ana replied, stirring the soup and giving it a taste.

"I can't wait to try it," Christian replied.

Ana continued to prepare the soup and Christian read the newspaper, glancing up at Ana every so often, when they both heard a distinct crashing sound. Ana's body immediately tensed and Christian noticed how on edge she was. Something definitely wasn't right. An inebriated Jack, sloped into the kitchen, not even realising Christian was sitting there.

"Wh..here's m..m...my food," he slurred, sneaking up slowly behind Ana. Her entire body was tense and her hand was shaking. He felt himself become angry and glared at Jack hoping he'd turn around. Nothing was going to happen to Ana whilst he was around.

"It's coming now, I promise, I'm sorry, please, just sit at the table with the Captain," Ana timidly replied. Only then did Jack notice Christian. His demeanour immediately changed from menacing to friendly.

"Hi, Captain," he slurred, holding his hand out to shake.

Christian was clenching his fist to stop himself from punching this man for how uncomfortable he had made Ana feel. Even if she wouldn't admit it, he knew something was amiss. He looked at Jack's hand and instead of shaking it, he simply nodded at the man. Jack's eyebrows furrowed but he simply took a deep breath and sat down.

"Anastasia, set up another place for dinner, Jose is coming." Ana tensed once more. It was clear that this 'Jose' character wasn't a friend of hers. He hated how scared she looked and just wanted to wrap her in his arms but he knew he couldn't.

"Ok," she whispered.

"What was that? You know I hate it when you get all quiet, speak up," Jack demanded and Christian had to clench his teeth to stop himself wringing the man's neck.

"I said ok," Ana said a little louder.

The doorbell rang and Jack got up, scraping the chair across the floor loudly.

"You're going to like Jose, Captain, he's in the reserves of the navy," Jack stumbled a little as he walked to the door leaving Christian and Ana alone.

"Ana, please, what's going on, does he hurt you? You have to tell me, please, I'm worried," Christian asked concerned. Everything about her demeanor told him how scared she was. She was practically shaking and he hated it. He hated that she wouldn't tell him.

Ana didn't say a word, she just continued to stir the soup. Christian watched as Jack and a short, mixed race man walked into the kitchen. The mixed race man's eyes were immediately on Ana and he watched as the man licked his lips. Now there was two men in the room that he wanted to strangle.

"Anastasia, how lovely to see you," Jose told her, his voice husky.

Christian watched as Ana's eyes clenched shut at the counter and she dropped her spoon. She turned slightly to the side. She was even more uncomfortable now that Jose was in the room and Christian needed answers.

"Hello, Jose," she greeted.

"Aren't you going to give me a hug?" he asked condescendingly opening his arms for her. She gulped and gingerly hugged him. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. He whispered something in her ear that made her whole face turn bright white.

"Jose! Let go of Ana and come meet the Captain," as with Jack, Jose's demeanour immediately changed and he came over with a smile on his face.

Christian didn't know which man he hated more right now, Jack was narrowly winning the race for who was going to get punched first but Jose was catching him up.

"Hello, Captain, nice to meet you. I'm Jose Rodriguez. My brother works for the American armed forces and he said he'd heard some great things about you."

Christian shook the man's hand, making sure his grip was extra tight and smiled when he saw Jose wince. Yes, that's what will happen if you touch Ana again, he thought menacingly before releasing the man's hand.

"Captain Christian Grey," Christian responded. Jose nodded, shaking his hand in pain and sat down. Ana set their meal in front of them. It looked and smelled delicious but Jack and Jose didn't seem to think so.

"What is this, Anastasia? It looks disgusting," Jack said. Jose was using his spoon to pick pieces of parsnip up and pulling a child like grimace. Christian shook his head at them. Ana had slaved away in the kitchen making them homemade soup with the little ingredients she had and this was the way they reacted? He didn't know whether he was sat with two grown men or two toddlers.

"It's cream and parsnip soup," she whispered, poured her own bowl. There were four empty chairs at the table, one next to Jack, one next to Jose, one at the head of the table and one beside Christian. Ana didn't even think about it, she just went and sat beside Christian.

Christian couldn't quite depict the myriad of feelings that went through him when she sat beside him. She felt safe with him next to her. Well - safer than she felt next to Jose or her own husband.

"Well it's disgusting," Jack sneered. Ana put her bowl down and Christian shook his head again at the pair.

"I think it's delicious, thank you, Anastasia," Christian replied, taking a spoonful of soup. Jack watched him in shock and Ana didn't raise her head, eating her soup quietly, not wanting to be the centre of attention.

"You like it?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Yes, I think it's delicious, just what I needed." Christian said, giving the man a pointed look before going back to eating.

Jack shot a glare at Ana.

"He only likes it because he's so used to eating ship slop," he sneered, trying to hide his embarrassment at the captain not agreeing with him.

"Actually, I like it because it's good food," Christian countered, looking at Jack and daring him to say something else. Jack was glaring back at Christian and knew he couldn't win the battle.

Christian was taller than him, stronger and he was a naval captain. Even a drunk, cruel man like Jack Hyde knew when to shut his mouth. Everybody started eating, and Christian couldn't quite pinpoint the feeling he felt when Ana slowly drifted her hand from her lap to his under the table.

She moved to grab for his free hand and squeezed it in thanks. Ana tried to pull it back but he held it tight, moving a thumb along her knuckles slowly and soothingly. She was just thankful that the attention was now on Christian instead of her. Usually dinner with Jose was a competition of 'who can make Ana feel the most uncomfortable' he'd run his beady eyes over her while Jack criticised her cooking, but now the two men had been put in their place and were asking Christian questions about his World War two voyage and she listening in fascination.

"So what's it like on the sea?" Jose asked. He'd now stopped behaving like a child and was eating his soup normally, not a grimace in sight, showing that he did actually like it all along, he just wanted to please Jack, something that annoyed Christian to no end.

"It's frightening at first but you grow to associate it as home," Christian replied.

"When was your first battle?" Jose asked again, eager for information. Christian was still stroking Ana's hand under the table and replied to the question somberly.

"My first time as naval captain in charge of a wartime ship and crew in 1941. We were almost capsized by a German missile and had to fight the enemy at sea."

Jack and Jose looked fascinated, as did Ana, but for an entirely different reason.

"Do you think they'd let me be in your crew for your next voyage?" Jose asked eagerly.

"No, you're too short and weak," Christian deadpanned. Ana choked on her soup trying suppress her laughter and Jose went bright red.

"What are you choking for?" Jack snarled at Ana. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest at his words and she took a sip of water, moving her hand from Christian's to take a sip.

"Something went down the wrong way," Ana said softly. Christian knew that wasn't the reason, she'd been laughing at what he said about Jose and it made him smile. She'd done well to hide it.

Christian, Jack and Jose were still sat at the table while Ana tidied up. Christian had asked her if she needed help twice and even stood up with the intention of helping but Ana gave him a warning look.

"Leave it to Anastasia captain, it's all she does in this house, housework," Jack laughed cruelly. Christian sighed and sat back down. He could feel himself getting to the end of his tether with the man in front of him and he wasn't sure how much more it would take for him to snap. He knew the best thing to do would be to leave the room.

"I might head up in a minute, it's been a long day," Christian told the men.

Ana didn't want him to go upstairs. Christian was the only thing making her feel safe among her husband and his friend. He made her feel protected - he'd defended her repeatedly against her husbands words and she wanted him to stay down here with her.

"Stay down here for a little while, Captain. I want to talk some more, Jose's leaving now anyway," Jack said and Ana breathed a sigh of relief that Jose was leaving.

Jose nodded towards Christian before grabbing Ana around the waist once more swinging her, whispering something that made her uncomfortable again before leaving the house. Christian had to clench his fists to stop him from decking the man. How dare he make Ana feel like that? He pulled his pocket watch out of his pocket to check the time and distract him from knocking Jose out. Ana noticed but didn't say anything.

"Anastasia, go upstairs to bed, this is man talk," Jack said once she'd cleaned the kitchen. Christian opened his mouth to refute his claim but Ana shot him a pleading look and he shut his mouth again.

"Goodnight ,Captain, goodnight Jack," she smiled.

"Goodnight Ana," Christian said.

"Yeah yeah," Jack waved his hand in the air and Christian glared at him. Could he not even bring himself to say goodnight to his wife? Was he really that rude?

Ana walked out of the room and went to bed. Usually she'd be subject to Jack's drunken antics by now, trying to get his wandering hands away from her but he never stopped, no matter how many times she told him to. Jack and Christian sat in silence downstairs. Jack was nursing a beer and Christian was nursing a cup of water. Both were looking at the table.

"So, Captain, how long do you think you'll be staying with us?" Jack asked, secretly hoping that he would be leaving soon.

As long as I can, to protect Ana from you, Christian thought.

"A few weeks? Maybe a month? It depends on how fast the government comes up with the next naval mission," Christian replied as Jack nodded, disappointed.

"You want a beer?" Jack asked.

"I don't drink, it's a nasty habit. It changes people," Christian replied, hoping that Jack would get the hint. Jack was too drunk to see the insult in Christian's words and just nodded.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to head off to bed," Christian told him.. Jack nodded and raised his beer.

"Good night, Captain," Jack replied. It's a shame you couldn't say that to your wife Christian thought, before heading upstairs.