Steps Singles - The One Shots

Love's got a Hold on my Heart

Lee had never seen a land lass look so at home sat in the front of a narrow boat, her fingers skimming the water as the boat drifted along through the canal. He sighed. As much as he had a desire to look after her it wasn't to be.
"Please Lele! You can't just ditch her in town. What if someone's after her or somming?" Lisa moaned.
"She's a land lasse Lisie she'd never manage with being on a boat long." Lee replied.
"She looks so at home though. Just take her a couple of towns upstream then! So we know she's safe awhile." Lisa replied.
"She let ya keep me." A distinctively Welsh voice called from in the cabin. A moment later Ian's head stuck out of the hatch to join them on the back of the boat.
"We discussed this, there ain't enough space for you up here!" Lisa moaned pushing him playfully back down the steps. "Hey wait he has a point! I let ya keep him."
Lee gave his sister the tiller and gave Ian a hand up the stairs. "That's different he was a river lad anyway Lisie." They'd adopted Ian a few years before and the two boys had fallen in love not long after. Lisa relentlessly teased them both (though mostly her brother) about it.
She sighed. "Can we at least take her to Devizes?"
"Flipping hell I ain't taking a land lasse up the staircase! She'd drive us all nutty in the process." Lee replied.
"It's so hard just the three of us though." Ian replied.
Lee rolled his eyes at the pathetic excuses. "It'll be worse with a land lasse, I tell ya now. We'll steal Clara awhile, that lot are up this way somewhere."
"But... could we invite her to stay awhile too? Please?" Lisa asked.
"No Lisie." Lee's tone made it very clear that was the end of the conversation.
"Lisa got a ickle crush?" H teased.
Lisa sighed, mumbled something about how she hated them and headed back into the boat. She cursed Lee quietly as she walked up to the front, though stopped in surprise in the cabin to find the curly haired girl making the beds. Lisa just watched transfixed; their ma used to make the beds in near enough the same way but Lisa had never mastered the art.

She turned and looked sheepishly at Lisa when she was done. "Oh I'm sorry was I... was I not meant to be in here? I was just trying to help." She said.
"No it's fine. Ya're fine. It's just that's how ma used to do it." Lisa replied.
She smiled slightly. "Ohkay. You have a very pretty... urhm boat? Or do you guys refer to it as home? Either way it's pretty." She said.
Lisa blushed. "Suppose both. To land laddies 'nd lasses, sorry that's what we call people like ya, it looks like a boat, but for us home." She pushed her hair back, and looked at the land lasse. "I'm Lisa by the way, what's your name?"
"Faye. It's nice to meet you." She replied.
"LISIE LOCK!" Ian called as he came through the boat. He smacked her as he passed and she smirked before following.
"Wait, could you maybe show me how these work?" Faye asked. "I've always wondered but never been able to ask anyone."
Lisa nodded and Faye followed her up the boat. She struggled a little to step across onto the land, but nowhere near as much as Lisa had assumed she would.

///

Having dealt with the lock, Faye being fascinated by it but incredibly helpful in working it, they carried on. Life went as normal as for a while, the trio all had their own jobs and couldn't worry about Faye. She sat at the front looking out and worrying about how she must be able to be more helpful.
"Lee's gonna moor up awhile 'cause we all keep arguing today. Also we've found an old friend." Ian announced as he passed Faye before leaping over the side and onto the bank. "Can you toss me that rope on the front?"
Faye threw it then got out onto the bank to try and help.
"No offence lassie but it takes practice to get this right." Ian said, pushing aside her offers of help.
"Then you could teach me!" Faye replied.
"Lee said I ain't allowed until the three of us argue... soomming out." Ian replied. Faye sighed but reluctantly got back onto the boat.

"Can I ask ya some questions bout how you're here?" Lisa asked her after they'd been moored a while.
"Maybe."
"Why was you under a bridge when Lee found ya?"
"My parents kicked me out and I had nowhere to go. My friends all live far away see." Faye told her honestly.
"Why'd they kick ya out?"
Faye shrugged. She didn't want to think back through that and definitely didn't want her possible friend to think any differently of her.
"Okay, where were ya gonna go?" Lisa asked when she understood she wasn't going to get an answer to the last question.
"I don't know. Travel. I've never lived anywhere long cause of dad's job. It's sort of all I know." Faye replied.
Lisa nodded. "Ya wanna maybe live on a boat?"
Faye shrugged. "Possibly. I mean it'd be nice to be free to float wherever."
Lisa smiled. "I'll see if I can convince me brother to let ya stay then."
Another blonde girl jumped onto the boat then and grinned at Lisa. "It's been too long Lisie!" She called.
"Clara!" Lisa laughed, hugging her. "We saw you pass us!"
"I know. I wanned to stop and see you but da wouldn't let us. Are they in the cabin?"
Lisa nodded. "This is our land lasse Ian told you about. Faye."
Claire smiled at Faye, then both the river girls headed into the cabin of the boat.