After making it through the storm with little damage to the ship and everyone seemingly free of injuries, Hope wandered her way topside to be greeted by a brilliant sunset of pinks, purples, oranges, and blues. Most of the crew that remained above decks appeared to be moving in slow motion, the storm having sapped out most of their energy. A stab of guilt hit Hope that the reason the men suffered was to get her to a foreign land. She pondered over whether her inner voice could be wrong, but she had never known it to be before so it seemed odd to be doubting it now.

Perching herself upon the rail, she let her chestnut eyes roam over the sea-soaked deck before returning her gaze to the beautiful sunset. It had amazed her to see such a sight when the storm had enveloped them in such complete darkness that she had been certain they were facing the worst in the middle of the night. She became so engrossed in the colors produced in the sky that she did not even hear the footsteps that approached from behind her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it ma'am?" The obviously young voice came tentatively toward Hope.

Spinning around as though she had been caught doing something she should not have, Hope's frown switched over to a warm smile at the young lad quickly. "Aye ....verra much so. Who would 'ave thought after tha' storm." Her chestnut gaze looked the boy up and down, realizing he had been one of the ones working so hard to bring the ship through danger unscathed. "Most 'ave gone below decks. Are ye nae tired yerself?"

Will let out a nervous chuckle. "More tired than I've ever been in my life, ma'am. But when I tried to close my eyes, I couldn't seem to sleep."

Her smile grew a little more at the lad and she nodded as a soft breeze picked up a golden curl and blew it into her vision. She lifted a hand to brush it back and gestured to the railing. "Yer certainly welcome tae share the view with me if'n ye'd like tae. As long as ye stop callin' me 'ma'am' tha' is." Her trademark smile bloomed on her face. "I much prefer tae be called Hope. Tha's m'name."

"Oh I know that, ma'....Hope..." He started in on the explanation but stuttered and paused. "That is ....everyone on board knows your name ma'.....Hope." He could not believe he was actually standing here having a conversation with his assignment. His superiors would have his hide for sure if they knew what he was doing.

Soft laughter echoed from her lips and she nodded slowly. "I s'pose they do Mr. .....I'm sorry. I nae believe I caught yer name." She studied him closely for a moment, noting that he did not look like a sailor at all.

"Will. Will Cameron, ma'am." He chewed on his lip nervously and pushed his spectacles up on the bridge of his nose a little more. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

One eyebrow arched as she perched herself a little more securely on the railing, hanging on to a soggy rope for support. "Finally' Has there been somethin' keepin' everyone from meetin' me?" Surely she had not given off the air of not being approachable. She had never known anyone afraid to actually meet her.

"Oh, no ma'....I mean ....Hope. I meant .....well ....you just always seem so sad when you're above decks and I think no one really wants to bother you." Well, it was partly true, but not exactly Will's reason for not approaching her.

Her smile faded to a fainter one and she shifted her gaze back to the sunset. "Aye, I s'pose I 'ave been a wee bit preoccupied. But if'n ye know m'name, then ye also know why we're takin' this journey, aye Mr. Cameron?" Gab and Alex were never far from her thoughts, and she would probably have this aura of sadness about her until she knew they were both alive and well.

"Yes ma'am. Everyone knows that too." When she turned to look out to sea, he withdrew his journal and jotted down a few notes about her so that he did not forget them when the sleep finally called to him later. "I hope you find them." Will's tone was sincere for he had come to care about this woman in an odd sort of way. She was such a mystery to him, yet her sadness was so real and in talking with her, he could tell that she was just as human as he, with the same range of emotions. It had always been planted into him by the Order that Immortals were different somehow, but he was finding out a truth all his own.

"Tha's verra kind of ye, Mr. Cameron. I appreciate yer good thoughts." Tilting her head, she turned back to see him writing in a small leather book. "Yer a writer, Mr. Cameron' Ye should certainly 'ave much tae write abou' after this journey, aye?" A smile lifted the corners of her lips as she studied him again. "It seems tae suit ye much more than bein' a sailor does. Wha' are ye writin' abou'?"

Will was caught off guard by her question and nearly dropped his journal in his efforts to mark his place and put it away. "Life. People I meet. Places I go. It probably wouldn't interest anyone else." He practically shoved the journal into his back pocket.

"Well, perhaps I'll make m'way into yer book then, Mr. Cameron." She gave him a genuine smile. "So I was righ' tha' yer nae a sailor, aye' Are ye travelin' tae the New World tae stay or jus' makin' the journey tae earn extra money?"

"I'm not sure yet, ma'am. I'm thinking I might just wait until I get there and see what opportunities there are for me." Will gave Hope a half-smile and shuffled his feet for a moment. He could not very well tell her that his plans depended on her plans.

Hope took note of his nervousness and tried to convey a broader smile to him to alleviate his fears, whatever they might be. "I've heard there are plenty o' new ventures tae be made 'ere. Perhaps ye'll find yer callin' once we dock." Her eyes scanned the horizon once more for any sign of land ahead of them. "Ye would nae 'ave any idea when tha' migh' be, would ye Mr. Cameron?"

Will could almost hear the anxiousness in her voice. "I believe the Cap'n said a couple more days, ma'am. Shouldn't be too much longer."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Hope hopped down from her seat on the railing and moved toward Will. "I hope yer righ', Mr. Cameron. E'ery day at sea feels like a month tae me." It also meant that she was farther away from finding Gab and Alex. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind for now and extended a hand to Will. "Good luck with yer book, Mr. Cameron. I think I'll go below an' get some rest now tha' the seas are calmer. Ye should probably do the same."

Will's hand went out to grasp Hope's without a second thought, though he knew what she was capable of with her hands. "Thank ye, ma'.....Hope. I think I might just do that." Though he knew that he would never sleep this night for all the thoughts that would be swirling through his head about just what type of person Hope Campbell Magere was now that he had actually met her face to face.

It only took a matter of minutes for Hope to make a few inquiries around the docks in order to locate where Gab had gone upon his arrival in Charleston. At once, she ventured toward the inn and spoke to the proprietor about the length of Gab's stay and how long ago it had been. Luckily, she thought she might be only a couple of months behind him.

"I'd like the same room he stayed in ....if"n tha's possible." It wasn't so much the fact that she was looking for any clues he might have left. She just wanted to be somewhere Gab had been so that she might feel his presence somehow.

A part of her didn't even want to stay in Charleston overnight. She wanted to find out what direction Gab had traveled and follow him as swiftly as she could. Sensibility won out over her heart's desire to see her husband again though. This was an unfamiliar land to her and she needed to gain a sense of what she should do and where she should go from here.

After settling in her belongings, she wandered back downstairs and out into the busy sidewalks to explore. It would be wise of her to try to find someone who might help locate Gab for her, but her stubbornness led her to believe this was something that she needed to do on her own.

As she made her way down the street, she noted glances and whispers from passers-by and a crinkle formed between her brows. No one here knew her other than the sailors she had arrived with, and she couldn't imagine that people were already gossiping about that.

"M'lady ?" She heard the male voice about the same time she heard the footsteps pounding up behind her. Spinning around and expecting to be greeted by a surly local, she was surprised to see the boy from the ship.

"Mr. Cameron " "tis good tae see ye again. Have ye decided wha' yer goin" tae do in Charleston?" Her smile was broad and genuine to the young man who apparently did not have sailing in his blood. Being a writer definitely suited him better.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about ma"am." A slight nervousness came over him as he stood next to her once again, though he tried to contain it.

Hope held a hand up to stop him from going any farther in his explanation. "Please, Mr. Cameron " call me Hope." She noticed his accent had faded once they'd left the ship.

Will let out a nervous laugh and nodded, "Only if you call me Will, ma" " er " Hope."

"Agreed, Will." She gestured down the street and turned to walk again. "Walk with me an' tell me wha's on yer mind, Will."

He still couldn't believe that he had gained the courage to speak to his assignment, but that thought was followed by the one that if his supervisors found out he had made contact with her, he would be out of the organization quickly.

"Well, I was thinking that you might need some help in finding your husband and your daughter." He knew he was being presumptuous for surely she could gain information on her own.

There appeared a barely imperceptible lift of her brow as she turned to look at Will. "Do ye know o' someone who migh' be able tae help me?"

"Well, yes, ma'...," He gave her a puzzling look and then forged ahead with what he meant to say. "I was thinking I could help you."

Hope pressed her lips together to hide the smile she felt forming. She doubted very much if Will Cameron would be any better at traveling in the unknown territories of the New World than he was at being a sailor. "I appreciate the offer, Will. I'm nae sure wha' ye can do tae help me tho."

Will knew he hadn't been skilled at being a sailor, but he certainly hadn't been afraid of getting his hands dirty for just a chance of being near Hope. "Whatever you need me to do. I just want to help you find them."

The sincerity in his tone could not be mistaken for anything else, and it brought a genuine smile to her lips. "Aye, Will. I could use yer help. Firs' thin' we need tae do is go tae the local tavern."

"Tavern, m'lady?" He frowned slightly but kept his steps measured with her own as they ventured down the sidewalk. "I'm not sure I understand why we need to go to the tavern."

A soft chuckle escaped her at the look on his face, "Because " aside from the docks, the best place tae find information is the local tavern. Ye would be surprised 'ow much I learned in m'own tavern jus' by listenin' tae others talk." She grabbed his elbow so it looked like he was escorting her instead of her dragging him along with her as they approached the tavern. "Let us see wha' we can learn, aye?" Before he could protest, she had pushed open the door to reveal a loud clamor of smoking, drinking and gambling.