Today was the day. Nora was going to visit Jack for the first time in forever. Okay, it hadn't been that long, but it was the longest she'd stayed away since around the beginning of meeting him. She was ready. She could catch him when he was walking away from a meet and greet time and tell him that whatever he'd heard from Oliver, or whoever else, it wasn't true. She wasn't a crazy stalker girl. She didn't have a crush on him—without, of course, mentioning feelings at all. She was just your sane, average Annual Passholder girl who owned too many things with mouse ears plastered all over it that wasn't in love with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Because that would be ridiculous. She didn't know him. It was fine.

She jittered the whole way there as if she'd drank an entire Starbucks' store worth of coffee. Which was really saying something because she didn't drink coffee.

She fidget-marched up Main Street, trying to plan how to bide her time, deciding maybe going on Jack's attraction might give her a sort of pre-conversation confidence just by seeing audio animatronics of him.

That was ridiculous, but she had time to kill and it had been a good long while since she'd been on the ride.

She walked across the Adventureland bridge, coming to a halt at the sight of a familiar adult face. Miles, Naomi's dad. And it was too late to turn around and run off because he had already spotted her, clearly recognizing who she was.

She'd seen Miles around the house a few times during small group, staying to the back of the house to meet with Maddie's actual dad, but they hadn't really exchanged any words, which made it even weirder seeing him in public than it already was.

At Disney World. Her secret place that she still hadn't told anyone about.

"Hi, Nora," he said, not at all bubbly like Maddie or Naomi were.

The words rushed out of her mouth like lava vomited from a volcano. "What are you doing here?" 

He blinked. "It's Maddie and Miles day."

Nora stared. Was she supposed to know what that was? Why wasn't he explaining what that was? And either way, she assumed that meant that Maddie was here, right now, and would see her at Disney. 

How did she get out of this conversation?
           
"Well, I left my friend on the other side of the park, so I have to get going—"

"I can walk with you."

Oh, cheese sticks. "You really don't have to."

"I've actually wanted to talk to you. I didn't get the chance during our first...meeting." He seemed to be clearly remembering Maddie's dad calling her kinky and cringing from secondhand embarrassment. "Naomi talks about you all the time now. I'm glad you've become friends." 

"Where's Maddie?" Nora asked, trying not to look around hectically as they started walking towards Adventureland. She really should have led them somewhere else, but it's not like she'd had a destination in mind before.

"She went to go buy a secret dessert for both of us, which is why she left me in the hub. She tries to throw me off the scent, but I'm pretty sure she's going to get churros. I'll let her know where we are so she doesn't worry."

"Oh, you don't have to. I really need to get back to my friend."

"I'm sure it would mean a lot to Maddie to see you for a few minutes. Have you two not been getting along?"

Nora tried not to bite her lip. "We get along fine."

"I'm sorry if she's a bit much. She has a really big heart and gets so excited about everything. She's not trying to scare anyone away or be obnoxious."

"I know. I really like her." She decided to change the subject. Nora had had it explained to her before, but it still confused her. "So are you like her uncle, or...?"
           
"Dad," he said immediately. "Not biologically. She's like a daughter to me."

She glanced at him. He didn't seem like a mouse ear sort of guy. "You're here because of her?"

"She loves it here."

"Oh."

"Has she not told you about her love for Disney yet?" Miles frowned. "Her mother would be upset."

"Her mom loves Disney?"

Nora led him through the bathroom hallway that connected Adventureland and Frontierland, not wanting to be anywhere near a certain pirate.

"She's the reason we're all stuck here." A pause. "I mean stuck in a good way. It is nice, it's just..."

"You get burnt out."

"Exactly."

Nora sighed. He still seemed like a nice guy, even if he couldn't handle Disney forever. Even if he wouldn't leave her be. "So...what did you want to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular." He studied her. "You seem jumpy."

Why'd he have to call her out like that? "Um. Well..." 

"Oh my gosh. NORA!"

She felt the hug before she was even able to see Maddie. It was a bit too warm for a hug in the hot Florida sun, but that wouldn't stop Maddie.

"Hi," Nora gasped, glad when she got her personal space back. 

"Wow! Why are you here?"
           
"She said she's with a friend," Miles stated.

"Who? I'd know if Naomi or Abby was here." Maddie's face pinched. "Who?"

"You don't know her," Nora said. Because she didn't exist. Unless Nora was counted as her own friend.

"Oh." Maddie stared down at the two churros she'd gotten. "I better go get another one. I don't want Nora not to have one."

"That's fine, Maddie," Miles said. "She can have mine."

"Wow." That was super nice. "Are you sure?"

"Isn't he the sweetest? Such a gentleman." Maddie nudged him in the ribs. 

He smiled. "Why don't we go sit for a few minutes before you catch up with your friend?"

Nora didn't have to look at Maddie to know saying no was not an option. "Sure."

They went to sit inside Peco's Bills for the air conditioning. It was a busy Saturday and it was lucky they even got a table. 

So, Nora. Are you just visiting for the day or are you an AP?"

Nora took a very big bite of her churro so she had time to think, which was saying something because her entire outfit gave her away. She'd gone with a Carousel of Progress theme. She was wearing a matching shirt and ears. She looked adorable, of course, but also very very Disney. So there didn't seem to be any point in lying. "I'm an AP."

Maddie gasped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Nora stared at the table. "I didn't know it was a big deal."

Miles seemed to sense the tension. "I'm going to go get some ice cream. It might take a few minutes."

He gave Maddie's shoulder a squeeze before heading out. 

"Nora, are you okay?"

"I...just don't like telling people I'm an AP."

"Why?"

"My sister makes fun of me for it. And people in high school made fun of me for loving Disney so much."

"Oh."

"Also...I'm not here with anyone. I lied to your dad because I was trying to get out of seeing you since I get nervous about telling people how much I love Disney. But then he insisted that I say hi and I couldn't get away from him."

"Do you not like coming with people?"

"I come with people sometimes." Levi. Only Levi. That one time with Oliver, which had been accidental and dramatic and weird considering he was not only Gaston, but Levi's old school bully, so she still wasn't sure about any of that. "It's just...it's a hard thing to share when I've gotten such bad reactions."

"Do you see what shirt I'm wearing right now?"

Nora peeked. It was a Jungle Cruise shirt about the eighth wonder of the world. "I love it."

"It's my dad's favorite attraction. My other one." Maddie smiled. "I wanted them both here with me."

"Your dad doesn't get jealous of Maddie and Miles days?"
           
"Nope. Like I said, I have a lot of people who really love me." She lowered her voice. "I'm sorry that doesn't seem like the case for you."

Her eyes watered against her will. "It's okay."

"It's not okay. You're a daughter of God. You're supposed to be loved. So I'm going to make sure you are, okay?"

Nora nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Would you like to hang out with me and Miles today? We don't have to. I know I'm pushy."

Nora gripped the still warm churro in her hand. A gift from them both. Maybe it was time to share the magic with other people. To try and let other people know her a bit better. "Okay."

Maddie went to her side of the table, hugging gently. "Love you."

"I'd say it back, but then I'd cry," Nora admitted thickly.

"Don't worry. I know you do."

Maddie let her sit in silence for a few minutes, slowly eating their churros. 

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Um, well we should go on the Jungle Cruise since you are wearing that shirt."

"Definitely."

"Splash Mountain?" 

"If the line isn't too long. It's hot today. The Fast Passes drop so randomly that they're hard to snag. Let me add you to my app so I can try to snag some."

By that time, Nora felt a bit more like herself. Miles came back, briefly watching them both before sitting down, as if he'd decided whatever spat they'd had had been settled. 

"Nora's joining us today," Maddie announced.

"I'm glad." And he did look glad, which made Nora feel less burdensome. He was already halfway finished with his ice cream. "What's on the agenda?"

"You should pick something too," Nora said.

"I don't need to. You two can pick."

"Such a gentleman," Maddie complimented again.

When they were finished, they walked back towards Jungle Cruise. Nora had completely forgotten about her worries until the worst happened.

"Look, Jack's doing a meet and greet. Oh my gosh, I love him," Maddie said way too loudly to the point Nora almost slapped a hand over her mouth. "We have to meet him. Come on, come on."

Nora gaped at the forming line as Jack Sparrow walked out, waving with an elegant bravado. 

And not only was it Jack Sparrow, but it was her Jack Sparrow. Oh dear God in heaven, no. She couldn't let them meet him. She still hadn't seen him since their encounter when she'd asked if he thought she was egregious and Gaston, Oliver, had said that she had a crush on him, making her wonder if Jack knew she knew that he knew. He couldn't know about Maddie and Miles. What if she did something embarrassing? What if Jack said something embarrassing? What if he thought she was trying to flaunt him off to people, or being a weird stalker girl who brought all her friends to meet their fictional boyfriend, or what if Maddie was a weird stalker girl—

Nora sucked in a deep breath. "I thought we were doing Jungle Cruise."

"I know, but this first. Sorry, I just love him so much."

"There's supposed to be a thunderstorm later, which means it'd shut down. We have to hurry," Nora urged.

"Actually, that wasn't in the forecast," Miles assured.

Nora screamed internally. Thanks a lot, Miles.

"It won't take long, I promise," Maddie said, forcing them in line.

"I don't like meet and greets either," Miles said. "Too many forced encounters."

Nora didn't say anything. She was too busy thinking. How was she supposed to convey a secret message to Jack without them hearing or understanding? 

Levi had never seen Nora so twitchy. There were two people with her, he was guessing a father and his daughter, and by the excited way that the girl was jumping up and down at the prospect of meeting him, he was guessing it could be Maddie, the girl Nora hung out with a good bit. Not that Jack was supposed to know that. Jack Sparrow also shouldn't know that Nora didn't ever tell people about her Disney obsession for fear of being called a loser, though it was at least obvious that she was always alone and never came with anyone else.

Whatever was going on, he figured he had to play it safe, for her sake and his own. He didn't want to slip and give himself away. Which was going to be a lot of fun to do after not sleeping and having his weird encounter with Oliver.

When it was their turn, he gestured to his newcomers first. "Ah. What first time adventurers do I have with me today?"

"I'm Maddie and this is Miles." Maddie tugged at her dad's arm, as if to make sure he didn't escape. He did seem the embarrassed sort.

Levi glanced at Nora, not sure what he was supposed to do. She put her fingers at her throat, a clear no gesture. So he wasn't supposed to know her?

"And your friend?" Levi inquired, nodding towards Nora.

"This is Nora," Maddie said. "And I'm ecstatic about finding out that she loves to come here."

He wondered if that meant she'd just found out about her obsession with Disney by bumping into her, or if it had been a planned outing. "It's a small world after all, aye?" Nora's eyes flashed at that. Too close to home. Oops. He swam to safer waters. "What adventures have you been on today?"

Maddie did all the talking, indicating that, yes, they had just run into each other. She probably thought Nora was just as shy as Miles seemed to be about character meet and greets. He didn't even want to tease Miles about it despite how fun that would have been, not wanting Nora to get annoyed. If she would be. Would she be?

Their time ended. They got a picture, which Miles was not allowed out of, and Levi breathed a breath of relief. Maddie was rushing off to the next thing as Nora offered to get the pictures on her MagicBand, making sure to pause.

Nora exhaled. "Thanks, Jack."

"I do hope you'll explain that bit of piracy to me next time we meet." And maybe the reason she'd stayed away for so long. He'd missed seeing her when he was Jack.

Her eyes met his. "We're constantly owing each other, huh?"

He liked it. Which probably translated into his smug smile.

"I'll be back," she murmured.

Levi had to force himself not to watch her go, pasting on a dashing smile for the next guests in line. 

Before Levi started peeling off his sweat laden costume, the first thing he did was check his phone, finding a text from Nora. "Did you want to meet up after work? I know, I know. It's last minute."

He was too curious about her day to possibly say no. "That works, but I need food and quiet."

Nora texted back. "We can stay at the Magic Kingdom to make it easier on you. Where did you want to go?"

Levi couldn't help but smile.

Half an hour later, he was resting on an ornate cushioned patio chair, eyes closed as the wooden fan above his head propelled sweet, cool air onto him.

"Um, Levi?"

He tried to hold in his smug excitement. "Yes?"

"How did you swing this?"

"I have a CM who works here who owes me a favor."

And he definitely did. One of the chefs had asked him to be Jack Sparrow at his son's birthday party. Because he was such a nice guy, Levi had done it for free. Not that he was supposed to take the costume. He'd gotten a strike for that. Which meant he was definitely owed a nice dinner without a reservation.

It was the perfect occasion to pay up.

"Um, are you sure we can afford this?" Nora asked.

He opened his eyes, finding her eyes pinched in concern. "Like I said, he owes me. Both of our meals are on the house."

Her mouth fell open. "Seriously?"

"I mean, we're at the Skipper's Canteen, so serious isn't exactly something they do here. But yes." Levi stood, going over to the podium where a fellow Cast Member stood, saying his name, which was enough to get immediate service.

It felt really good. In fact, it was the most confident he'd ever felt.

"Come on, Nora. The ship's about to leave without you."

Nora followed quickly, eyes wide as they went in.

"Welcome to the Skipper's Canteen. I'm Skipper Rachel." She turned to Levi, smiling. "Trader Sam said you might be headed this way, but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Nora squealed.

"Have you been here before?" Rachel asked.

"No."

"Me either. We'll figure this out together."

There were differently themed rooms. There was the main room, with its colorful, Caribbean-like colors, high ceilings and rafters, the room made bright by the stained glass windows.

"The mess hall," Levi explained.

"This is the least messy mess hall I've ever seen."

"Oh, no," their Cast Member said. "As you can see, the stained glass is, well, stained. Sorry, we've been trying to get it cleaned up, but it's a pain to clean them."

"Nora grinned, mouthing "pane" to Levi.

"Now, before we move on, I do want to point out some of the highlights of this room, because there is a lot to look at."

By this point, Nora was gripping Levi's arm and he was having a hard time watching her point out all three chandeliers which, of course, were very high lights.

"But don't stare at them too long, you might get a little light headed."

"There's also a S.E.A. room," their Cast Member leading them to their table explained. "It's a secret meeting place for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers."

The lush carpet and wooden walls reminded him of an explorer's version of a man cave, complete with artifacts and maps on display. It definitely had some Disney TokyoSea memorabilia, but Levi wouldn't have really been able to point it out. He wasn't as knowledgeable about the international parks.

"And here is the jungle room, the parlor of our own Dr. Falls."

Nora whirled on her. "The Dr. Falls? Who Schweitzer Falls is named after?"

"The very same."

Nora stopped at the entry way, taking it all in. "Levi, it has parrot chandeliers."

That it did. Stained glass parrots looked down from their perches, glowing their tropical colors.

"They may have flocked on over from the Tiki Room."

Nora's fingers twitched at her side, as if she wanted to hug Rachel.

Levi admired the bamboo ceiling. Everything was in its perfect place. He let Nora continue to gush before gesturing for Nora to sit down.

"Here's your table. Sit anywhere you like, but I do recommend a chair." They both sat and were handed menus. "Arms and legs in at all times, pull on the yellow strap. Looks like you're good to go. If you need anything, Skipper Dawn is going to be your skipper this evening. She's going to be wearing khaki, so you can't miss her."

Nora pulled the menu very close to her face as soon as she left. "Levi. The backside of the menu states that it is the backside of the menu."

She held it up to prove it.

"Pretty great, isn't it?"
            
"It's fantastic. It's now the ninth wonder of the world." She looked up. "And you're sure this is on the house?"

"Yes."

"What, exactly? The entrée, right? I'm sure it's already picked out."

"Nope. We can each get an entrée and a dessert."

"No."

"Yes."

Nora put her menu down. "I owe you a great debt, Levi, for the experience of a punny dinner."

"Don't mention it." Really, he was the one who owed her, not the other way around.

They decided to split their entrees. Levi ended up going with the steak while Nora went with the "tastes like chicken—because it is." They got to spend a lot of time pouring over all the jokes on the menu, in which Nora then doted on Alberta Falls, Dr. Falls' daughter who had decided to open the mess hall as a place for guests to eat.

"Have you ever had steak?" Levi asked after they'd ordered, which was also full of puns.

"Yes, but not Disney steak."

"I guess we'll both be seeing how it is, then." He had to force himself not to lean forward. "So, how was your Disney day?"

Nora blinked, her excitement over her water dissipating. "Oh. I mean, it was actually okay."

"Then why are you making that face?"

"Because it was a weird day."

"How was it weird?"

Nora leaned back. "You know Maddie?"

Well, he'd met Maddie, but Nora wasn't exactly one to gush about her personal life. Not that he blamed her. Besides some childhood stories, he didn't really talk about himself much either, not to mention he had his secret. Still, it made him wonder how well he really knew Nora. "I think she's the one you mentioned when we ate at Nine Dragons?"

"Yeah. I met her on campus at the beginning of this year. She's nice, but she's also been nagging me to go to this small group with her."

"Small group?"

"Bible study." She started fiddling with her fork. "So I went and I've been going because it's actually pretty nice. That's where my new friends are from."

That would explain why she hadn't been to Disney as much lately. He wondered why she seemed embarrassed about going to a Bible study. Talking about religion did seem pretty taboo, but hopefully they were close enough to at least state what they believed, right? He didn't come across as someone who'd judge her, did he?

"I've never been to one myself," Levi said, hoping to put her at ease, "but I did grow up going to church. Kind of."

She peeked at him. "Kind of?"

"Off and on. My parents weren't the best at establishing good attendance practices."

"I guess it's not that that matters so much as the heart behind it?" Nora shrugged. "Still. It's something I want to get better at. Maddie says ninety percent of a leader's job, and a friend, is showing up."

Maddie's over the top eagerness flashed in his mind. He hadn't really pegged her as someone who would be dishing out wisdom. Good for her. "What's got you so worried?"

"I hadn't told anyone in the small group about my Disney obsession."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be made fun of."

"Yeah. I guess Brook didn't really make it easy for you, did she?"
            
Nora propped her head up with her fist. "She even got everyone in the whole school back home making fun of me for it."

She was easily a contender for the worst sister award. "They shouldn't have."

"I know that. But they always acted like I was an adult who believed in Santa Claus. So I stopped talking about it."

"And so that's why you always come alone?"

"Yeah." She glanced up. "Until you, at least."

The same current that always passed between them stirred again.

She went back to staring at the table. "Anyway, Maddie and her not-dad were here today and I accidentally ran into them. So obviously I was freaking out. And I had to be honest with Maddie about everything."

Not-dad? "How did it go?"

Nora leaned back. "She was understanding, of course. I shouldn't have been so freaked out about telling her the truth."

Levi swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah. I guess honesty is usually best. That way you know your friendship is actually real."

"Exactly. But it's hard."

Yes. Yes it was.

"Nora?"

"Yeah?" She stayed busy rearranging her silverware, as if something she said could have upset him. The irony.

"I'm J—"

"Do I have a treat for you!" their waitress gushed.

Levi's hands turned into fists under the table as he tried not to bolt from his chair. The food was placed in front of them. The waitress bustled off to her next table.

Nora clapped her hands together. "Wow. This looks amazing."

Levi cleared his throat. "Yeah, it really does."

He started divvying up his plate to give Nora her share. It seemed so normal, splitting food with her. They'd done it at least a dozen times since they'd met, considering Nora was so new to Disney food and needed to try everything.

But would she want to do this anymore if she knew the truth?

He stared at the exotic, colorful chicken next to his normal, less appealing steak. Without her, he'd be here alone. He wouldn't have color anymore.

"What were you saying before?" Nora asked.

"I'm...just glad you're opening up. Making new friends."

This was a good thing, after all. Real friends who supported her. Real friends who weren't lying to her. He'd be out of her life soon enough. Might as well try to enjoy it.

"And...I talked to Oliver this morning."

"You did?"

He poked at the chicken. "Yeah. I mean, he cornered me in the hallway and got us locked in a closet, so I kind of had to talk to him. I...usually avoid talking about things that are hard to talk about."

"Just like me."

He peeked up at her. No. He was worse.

"You know, I don't blame you for being afraid to face him. Or not talking to other people after how badly that went for you." Nora chewed thoughtfully. "How did the conversation go?"

"Not that bad? He's really for being upfront about everything."

"Yeah. Basically the second he met me he blurted out he was Gaston. Which I can't tell if he was trying to impress me or just be honest so I knew he wasn't a liar."

Levi's throat bobbed. "...If he hadn't told you, would you have been upset?"

Her nose crinkled. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like I was planning on meeting up with him again? So if he hadn't told me and we just ran into each other every once and a while, I don't feel like I'd have a right to care. And I know face characters go through a lot of weird crazy people." She turned pink at that. "So...no."

"And if he'd kept meeting up with you and didn't tell you?"

Nora sighed. "I don't get the hypotheticals, Levi. I don't know how I'd react. It'd depend on what kind of person he was and how long he did it and maybe if he'd bought me a cinnamon roll first to butter me up, which would probably make me more upset that he'd dare use my weakness in an attempt to make me less mad. There are way too many variables."

His palms dampened. "You should probably give him a chance. Oliver, that is. Well, after I hang out with him."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're going to hang out with him?"

"You know, in a public place where he can't somehow turn on me."

Nora took a sip of her water. "Still don't trust him, huh? I wouldn't either."          

"Maybe he's trustworthy," Levi said. "You never know. At least he was honest."

"I'm all for forgiveness, but just make sure he's legitimate, okay? And if you need me to go along with you on your meet up with him, I can."

Levi held back a scoff. If Nora came, Oliver would just flirt with her the whole time. "...Not to get too personal, but it was easy hanging out with him that day, wasn't it?"

Nora put her fork down, readjusting the napkin on her lap, her eyes on it. "Yeah. Before I knew what he'd done to you."

"He could be a good guy."

"You don't have to keep trying to convince me, Levi. He needs to convince us." She shook her head, murmuring to herself, "I wish he hadn't been so much fun."

Of course Nora liked him. Just his luck—not that he'd been doing a good job at putting his best foot forward. He forced himself to smile, to play the part, for her. But she deserved more than a pirate.

Ahoy!

Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite Disney restaurant? And, if you've never been, favorite restaurant in general. I wish for everyone to at some point try Disney food. It is divine and not all hot dogs and hamburgers.

Make sure to like, comment, and follow. You know, if your compass points you there.

-Flips